Moonlight is for lovers
by dantemalfoy
Summary: With a heavy heart, Jake returns for their wedding where unexpected things develop as Bella's powers threaten everything he holds dear. Emmett/Jake/Edward
1. Moonlight

_**Warnings:** Bella bashing. There will be a Emmett/Jake/Edward threesome later on_

* * *

Quil propped himself up on the bed. "Turn up the volume, will ya?"

"Why?" growled Embry as he rummaged through the stuff on the desk. Finally he found the remote and pointed it at the dilapidated CD player.

"Jake listened to that song a lot, before he ran away."

Embry grimaced, feeling the ache in his chest from the continued absence of his best friend. "D'you think he'll ever come back?"

"Dunno," muttered Quill sullenly.

The thudding sound of pebbles against the windowpane caused Embry's heart to race. It was Jake's way to tell them he wanted to speak with them.

The glass on the open window rattled as Jake's large silhouette filled the space between the weathered wood of the frame. With an elegant sweeping motion, the tall Quileute swung his body inside the room. He stood up slowly and rubbed the stubble on his chin, breathing the familiar scent of his friends which was mixed with old leftover pizza.

"Hey, guys!"

Jake's voice was hoarse with disuse which brought a pang to Embry's heart; it pained him to see Jake so down. "Man, we've missed you!"

Nevertheless, the two friends beamed at him. Jake shivered as he listened to the sounds coming over the wrestled the control from Embry and angrily pushed the button on the edge, silencing the melody that brought painful memories.

Seeing his friends' puzzled expressions, Jake said, "We danced by the moonlight to this song; can't stand hearing it."

"So," said Quil tentatively, "you're back?"

Jake heaved a deep breath and crossed his arms over his bulging bare chest. "You've no clue? Today is their wedding."

Quil and Embry exchanged guilty glances. Being so mired in patrol duties, they hardly paid attention to the date.

"Gotta attend and see my love one last time…" Jake trailed off as his hand moved unobtrusively to his cheek to wipe the lonely tear that rolled down his russet skin.

His voice raspy with emotion, Jake pointed at the window. "Went to Seth's but they'd already left." Then he waved his arm at Quil's closet. "Hope the suit I brought for summer vacation is still there?"

Quil smiled impishly, his brown eyes shining in the lamplight. "Sure, mom's always asking me to tidy up; grandpa makes excuses though, says I'm busy with tribe business."

"Whatever," Jake said absently as he rummaged through the closet. He pulled out the white shirt and black pants he'd bought at Port Angeles.

* * *

oOoOo

After dressing up in the woods outside the Cullen house, the three friends cautiously descended the steep hill. Jake put his hand on the rough bark of an old pine, and for once, the scent of the trees and the wildlife brought no comfort to his heart.

He squinted at the brightly lit house which appeared as ethereal as if it had come out of a fairy tale; a story which held no happy ending for him.

The strewn chairs gave him the first clue something was not right. They had been destroyed, and his gaze was drawn to the white tablecloths scattered around the lawn. It looked as if a minor battle had taken place. Jake's heart beat madly against his ribs. Had those Volturi guys come and wreaked havoc? Had they killed the one he loved?

His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply; there were no traces of odd scents, only the one he'd grown so accustomed to. His eyebrows puzzling in confusion, he realized Seth and his father weren't there. Had they been captured by those Italian bloodsuckers? Or had the other guests turned on them and caused all the mayhem?

A blurry shape rushed out of the house, limned briefly by the lights strung on the cables high above the lawn.

"The Volturi did not attack us, wolf." Cullen's hair appeared woven out of molten copper by the scant light, and his smooth voice made Jake shiver.

The Quileute stood his ground defiantly, puffing up his chest. "Where's _your_ Bella?"

"She's gone, along with all the guests." Edward sighed and stuck his hands in the pockets of his torn formal jacket, a slice of tantalizing marble skin visible above his belt.

"What happened, man?" Quil arched his eyebrow at Edward and pointed at the destroyed furniture on the grass. "Looks like a tornado passed by."

"I called off the wedding," said Edward curtly.

"What?" Jake's big frame shook with emotion.

"I couldn't pretend anymore. When I explained my reasons, Alice went berserk and attacked us." He turned back his body and pointed at a broken table just to the left of the door. "The Denalis and other guests took sides and we had a fight on our hands."

"Why did you call it off?" Jake frowned at Edward; he wished he had the power to read his mind.

"Because I remembered our dance, Jake," said Edward softly. "In the snow outside the tent? Bella fell asleep and we snuck out, taking her iPod."

"You… do?" Jake was skeptical after the way the vampire had behaved.

"I'm sorry I brushed you off the next morning, that I…." Edward gulped as he tried to voice his feelings so his true love would listen to him. "Couldn't make up my damned mind; I was too caught up in what Bella wanted, her power as my Singer."

Edward looked down at the grass, shuffling his leather shoe against the ground.

"I should have listened to the song of my heart," he whispered; then he looked up at Jake, his golden eyes glowing in the moonlight. "Which is you, Jacob, always."

Quil nudged Embry's shoulder and pointed at the woods. His friend nodded, understanding that this moment belonged to Jake and Cullen. Tomorrow they would have their answers.

Jake stepped towards the vampire, and poked his chest. "Is this true? You're not playing with me?"

"I'm tired of playing, Jake." Edward smiled tiredly. "It's you I want; no one else will do. Alice didn't understand my hunger for you."

Jake cupped Edward's chin and leaned towards the vampire, kissing him timidly. The feeling of his soft stubble against Edward's cold skin made both men shiver.

Edward muttered against the warm cheek of his love. "I've waited so long for you, Jake. Will you be mine?"

Jake nibbled playfully on the marble ear shell of his love. "I won't let anyone take you from me."

The two swayed in the moonlight, their hips close as they danced slowly to the beat of a melody only they could hear.


	2. Moonlight's end

**_Warning:_**_ NC-17_

* * *

**JPOV**

That night there was magic in the air, the old one that infused the world when it was young, as Dad said. For me, it was the magic of dreams come true. I couldn't believe Edward had called off the wedding. Wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

I leaned forward and listened to the music, wanting to memorize the sweet sounds that came out of the gleaming piano while Edward's fingers appeared to dance upon the keyboard.

Didn't want to interrupt to ask him what the song was, though the melody was hypnotic. It called to my mind the sea my ancestors sailed on and the river whose meandering path I knew so well. Most of all, I remembered the moon shining over the white landscape all around us as I danced with him.

"It's one of Chopin's Études, Jacob," Edward said softly.

I was thankful the wedding guests hadn't destroyed this room; downstairs was a big mess. But it didn't matter as long as I had him. I looped my arms around his shoulders and rested my chin on top of his head. _'I've needed you for so long. Want you now.'_

Next thing I knew, Edward had pitched me onto a bed on my back. He took off my shoes so fast I hardly noticed; then he unclasped my pants and took off my belt which made me squirm at the pressure. Meanwhile, I grappled with the buttons of my shirt and finally tugged it off. He yanked my pants and boxers down my legs and threw them on the floor, staring at me. Hell, if he was reading my mind he should've known I was up for it.

"Just want to make sure this is what you want, Jake."

"It is, Edward."

My cock twitched when he undressed in a blurry whirlwind, uncovering his pale body. I gasped when he lifted my legs and poured a thick liquid over my backside.

"What's that?"

"Lube, Jacob."

I sat up on the bed and grabbed his neck, pulling down his head. "Who the hell have you been using it with?"

If he was fucking another guy on the side, I was ready to walk away. I wouldn't let myself be someone's toy like I did with Bella. Seeing my expression, he backed off and showed me the bottle; it said_, 'Supple skin oil.' _

He chuckled and continued prodding my entrance with his fingers. "There's never been anyone else, Jacob. This is just Bella's skin product."

His thumb rubbed my rim before he breached me. It hurt a bit and I unconsciously clenched around it which made him smile. "You're so tight and hot inside. Can't wait to plow this sweet ass."

But I couldn't tear my eyes away from the damned yellow bottle, Bella's oil. If he fucked me, it would be similar to what he would've done with her. My chest heaved while I stared at my throbbing cock, mulling ideas over in my mind. I wanted Edward to know in his bones this was special, that I was no Bella. I wanted to rock his world and show him what I could do. I wanted to fuck him.

Edward gulped and let the bottle slip from his fingers. I deftly caught it and upended it over my shaft, scrunching up my nose at the fragrant scent of almonds over my stomach.

Smirking at him, I curled my fingers around myself and rubbed the oil up and down my shaft. "If we're together, it's not gonna be anything like what you had with Bella. You catch my drift? Are you afraid?"

He glared at me. "Afraid of you, wolf?"

"I'm not your average guy." I cocked my head at my prick; I was embellishing the truth a little because I hadn't seen many erect dicks.

"Nor will you see many of them, Jake; I'll make sure of that." Edward batted away my hands and straddled my lap. He held my prick between his cold fingers as he slowly impaled himself.

The feeling of his entrance squeezing reflexively against my cockhead was heavenly, but when it popped inside him and he clenched around me, I yelled.

It was soothing, having this coldness wrap around me, holding me inside as if he never wanted it to go. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, wanting to preserve this memory deep in the wolf's mind: the oil which smelled like sweet rolls, the softener used on the sheets, and our musky smell which mixed perfectly.

I groaned when Edward's ass touched my thighs. He wiggled and the sensation must have pleased him because his muscles grasped me tighter.

"Jake, come on!" He said roughly, "Do something, move!"

Too caught up in the coldness gripping me, I didn't answer. Instead I thrust up my hips, stabbing my shaft deep inside him. He whimpered and tilted up his hips, bending down to caress my sweaty hair.

I just let him have it, my hips moving in the same rhythm I used when I ran through the woods; the four-legged walk made me more sprightly. I used that to my advantage, plowing savagely that cold backside. Wanted him to remember the moment when I made him mine.

I smiled tiredly when he canted up his hips and pushed down his ass. Edward arched his chest like a marble statue come to life. It gave me the chance to rub my hands over his nipples, twisting the small nubs. I licked my lips at the sight of his twitching cock, wet with his juices. When he groaned, I knew I'd found his prostate and kept hammering at that angle.

He fucked back with eagerness; the gliding motion of my prick against his gland finally made him come. Didn't take long for me to follow him; his muscles fluttering against my shaft were enough.

I was dead tired and spread my arms. "Was it good for you, Edward?"

"It was great, Jacob." He smiled and raised himself; I blushed at the lewd popping sound my cock made when it left his body.

I thought he was done for until he gently squeezed my thighs and spread them.

"What the hell?"

"It's my turn to fuck you deep and hard, wolf."

My spent cock twitched as he smirked at me.

He fulfilled his words though, I came twice.

* * *

oOoOo

The next two days passed in a blur. There was food in the kitchen from the time when Bella was there and we kept busy repairing the house, but there was no sign of his family.

"Why did the pixie act...?"

"Berserk?" Edward lifted the heavy white bookcase easily. He pushed it against the wall and frowned. "She always takes Bella's side. I'm sure she's seen a future where they become more than friends."

"Are you sure?" I couldn't quite believe it. Bella seemed so innocent.

Edward grabbed a bunch of books and slid them into place. "There are advantages to reading minds, Jacob. The future she sees depends on Bella being turned, so when I called off the wedding it disappeared."

"Figures." I shrugged; the way of vampires was beyond my ken. "And where are the other Cullens?" I asked him as I tugged the couch up the steps.

"They're gone. Jasper got to the Denali coven and… persuaded one of them to talk. My family has gone to Italy."

"Whatever for?"

Edward smiled sadly at me. "I'll tell you tonight, I promise. Let us enjoy this brief moment in the center of the storm." He sighed wistfully. "How I wish it would last forever!"

* * *

oOoOo

The moon had sunk below the trees when he turned to me.

"I have to leave for Italy," Edward said, his voice smooth as always. "I am told the Volturi want to see me."

It was the third time he'd repeated the story. He tried to disentangle our limbs, but I wouldn't let go.

"Take me with you." My voice sounded strange to my ears, rough with fear. Would he return? Would those guys take at face value his explanation that Bella had been turned by another coven? Worse, how would he explain the fact that he was my lover?

"They wouldn't accept your presence, Jacob." He caressed my cheek; his touch felt as cold as a weathered stone and soft as the sound of his voice whispering sweet endearments in the night. But I clung to him like a limpet, my legs wrapped around his, my arms looping around his torso.

I nuzzled his neck, yearning for the reassurance of his body. He was right; Edward was a vampire who could hold his own, and most of his family was already over there. I was afraid because he'd told me about the powers those bloodsuckers had. Would they persuade him to leave me?

Edward held my face between his hands and looked at me with those honey eyes. "I know what's inside that pretty head of yours, wolf. You're afraid I'll treat you like Bella did. I assure you I won't."

"Bella was your Singer," I spat out, trying to read his face.

"But you are my mate. It's the reason I called off the wedding; that's why Bella betrayed us to seek the help of the Denalis so they would transform her." He sighed sadly. "Can't you see? I have to enlist the help of the Volturi against her."

* * *

tbc

_Note: I will update this sporadically because of Ghost Road._


	3. The wolf's aurora

_**Warning:** Violence and evil Bella_

* * *

The woods felt strange because their scent was off. The wolf missed something, and it wasn't only the lack of the bright moon. The fur along my back and withers rose when I realized the sensation came from inside; I felt hollow without Edward.

Guessed the odd scent was my wolf interpreting the lack of his mate. I needed to see and touch him, to convince myself he was all right, but Edward was on the other side of the ocean.

The nights were worse because I yearned to feel the meat and heft of his shaft pounding me; just like I wanted to sink myself into his tight body. I missed him so much!

_'Hell, Jake! Don't flood me with images of you and Cullen! Concentrate, man! Jared told us he sensed something here.'_

_'Sorry, Quil.'_ I snarled at the dark-furred wolf for good measure. Raising my hackles at the woods, I pawed the ground restlessly. I appreciated Quil and Embry joining me in the patrol, but Quil's sarcasm was a pain in the ass. Besides, the balmy night made me uncomfortable; or maybe that was the aurora's doing.

I lifted my muzzle and gazed up at the red-blood sky, shivering at the ominous color; the broad swath of red painting the heavens was awesome. It reminded me of my vamp.

Though they tried to hide it from me, I knew Edward talked to my friends before he left for Italy. That sneaky vampire wove plans inside plans; I could tell by the way the corner of his perfect lips tugged upward in a lopsided smirk. Didn't need to read Edward's damned mind to know he always had a plot up his cold sleeve.

And there was the matter of the other Cullen. Speaking of which, I growled softly at Quil. _'Embry's guarding the other side, right?'_

Quil pawed the ground while gazing at the running waters of the Quilayute. Had to admit the sight was fantastic because the reflected light from the sky shimmered in our river. The magenta appeared brighter in our wolf vision; it was unearthly.

My heart beat painfully against my ribs, wondering if Edward would watch those lights on the other side of the globe. I wanted to share this with him, to hear his smooth voice caress my ears as he told me whatever explanation he had learned. My vamp's soothing manner had been a constant attraction, even when we competed for Bella.

How the hell would he convince the Volturi to help us? Edward wouldn't tell me, making up excuses until it was time to go. I hated this secretiveness!

Quil growled at the woods on the other side of the river, his tail swishing restlessly. _'Do you smell it? A leech is here!'_

It wasn't the only scent; the breeze carried a familiar sickly sweet odor. I yapped at him. _'What are you waiting for? Go!'_

_'But…'_

_'I'll be fine, now go!'_

Truth to tell, I recognized the smell because it made me recall the salty air of First Beach when I met her; I remembered huddling together in front of the bonfire, and oily rags in the shed as I worked on the bike. But now it was tainted with corruption.

Bella was approaching.

While Quil forded the river, I ran to the cedars in front of me. I had to embellish my plan, fast. Bella was a newborn and I knew from painful experience how strong those bloodsuckers were. Jasper had said they lost all trace of humanity and they saw wolves as their mortal enemies. I felt a rush of air on my back as she ran towards me. I grabbed my only chance.

I rose on my haunches and jumped up like I was trying to escape. Instead, I shifted in midair and landed a few yards away.

Bella's newborn instincts would be appeased because she would not see a deadly enemy but a weak prey. I intended to use my advantage to the max by playing the dumb, lovesick kid she had kicked to the curb time and again.

Anything to gain some time.

"Why, Bella?" I wheezed and panted as if I was out of breath, putting my hand on the rough bark of the cedar. "You're my friend, and I haven't done anything to you."

"Jacob, what a surprise!" She sneered at me, her ruby eyes hypnotizing in the dark. Even then, when she was about to kill me, I couldn't help but admire her beauty.

"Bells, you're no longer the girl-next-door, more like a super model." I licked my lips and put my hand over my crotch, trying to suggest I was hiding my erection. "Something out of this world!"

It was true, though; the aurora lights bathed her in a soft red glow which matched her deadly eyes. It struck sparks off her silky hair and made her cheeks appear like carved, bloody marble.

I soaked up these feelings because they would feed the passion and anguish I needed to fool her. It would be easy to appear lovestruck when Bella looked so pretty.

"You were always so weak, Jacob." Bella sneered at me. "You're about to die and all you can think of is how beautiful I look?"

She cocked her hips, clad in expensive pants which the pixie must have bought her.

"Tell me why it has to come to this!" I bit my lip and took a step back, my roughened sole breaking a twig. "It wasn't my fault; it was Edward who seduced me!"

I made the mental note to apologize to my lover. Truthfully it was the other way around; Edward was so much the gentleman it took some effort to make him horny. Couldn't complain because, once he was in the mood, he became a love machine!

I hoped Bella's power wasn't reading minds because then I would be toast.

"That's exactly what I thought. You're so gullible, Jacob!" Bella said. "It doesn't matter one bit; I'll make sure you die. Edward will rue the day he left me at the altar!"

She dashed towards me and I shifted, turning my body to escape her clutches and snap at her from the side. Before she could wrap her cold arms around my neck, I managed to bite her thigh; hoping I'd bought enough time for my plan to succeed.

Yelping, Bella stumbled back, and then shrugged off the attack.

"Want to know what my power is, dog?" She smiled in a sinister parody of the shy grin I used to love.

"I can deflect the power of any vampire." Bella said in that soothing voice of the leeches. "Edward's mind-reading, Jasper's empathy, and Emmett's strength - I nullify them all!"

My nostrils flared as I recognized a familiar scent which emboldened me. I launched myself at Bella and my jaws found purchase in her hips. I shook my head with a mighty heave, trying to toss her around like the deadly doll she had become.

It was useless though; Bella truly had the strength of a newborn. She stood her ground and struck my flank, throwing me against the bushes. Before I could manage to stand, she rushed towards me; then she crouched above me and looped her arm around my shoulders.

The relentless pressure around my fur disappeared. Bella wasn't able to break my neck because another vamp pinioned her arms to her side.

"What's the matter, Bella? The pampered princess got tired of playing with her mutt?"

I had never been so happy to hear Emmett's voice as in that moment.

"Lemme go!" Bella yelled, bucking and trashing her body from side to side. "Lemme at him!"

Emmett wrapped his arms around Bella like a bear hugging one of its cubs.

I stood up and frowned at them. If Bella was right, how come her power didn't overcome Emmett?

The big guy whispered menacingly into her ear, "Much as I'd like to play with you, honey, I'm afraid the wolf and I have urgent business elsewhere."

In a blurry movement, Emmett hurled her body like a javelin and tossed Bella across the river; then he looked at me. "We gotta get help, Jacob. The Denalis are coming!"

* * *

oOoOo

"Those leeches turned tail when they saw the pack!" I cupped my hands around the cup of tea, looking intently at Emmett. I hadn't been so keen on Edward persuading him to protect me, but I had to say that having this hulking vamp on my side had been pretty useful.

"I still think you took a grave risk, wolf." Emmett looked longingly at the game controller on the table of the deserted living room.

I shrugged while I sipped the cold tea. "I thought the best way to lure Bella was to seem weak and isolated; then you and I would take care of her and our problems would be solved. Pity the other leeches showed up. Emmett, what took you so long?"

"One of her allies I had to deal with." He shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I had to buy time, man! Couldn't stand her fucking stench!" I grimaced and sipped more tea.

"It was a sly plan, wolf." Emmett's handsome face split in a big grin. "I can see what Edward sees in you."

I looked down at the cup, trying not to blush. I hoped Emmett wouldn't start asking about his brother's sex life because that would be awkward.

Bella would've recognized Emmett's scent; that's why I told him to stay on the other side of the river with Embry and the pack. Besides, the shifters would hide him from the pixie's visions.

"You must be really strong," I finally said.

Emmett grinned wolfishly and put his elbow on the table. He flexed his biceps and wiggled his fingers. "Sure am, wolf. Want to arm wrestle?"

"Later." I put the cup on the table and leaned forward. "Bella said she could beat you, that her power protects her from you and the other Cullens."

"Oh." Emmett pouted. "The big bad wolf doubts me?"

"No, man! It's just…"

"Let me hazard a guess." He pointed at the window, where the red lights were fading in the light of the dawn. "The aurora interfered with the power of the spoiled princess; Bella doesn't control the entire world, you know."

"Good to know, Emmet. Thing is, we won't have another aurora…."

"… for years, that is why Edward needs to convince the Volturi to help us." He paused and gazed sharply at me. "You do know what he will offer in exchange, don't you?"

I shook my head and picked up the cup. "He wouldn't say, went all secretive on me."

Emmett sighed deeply. "I told him to consult you. Hell, Rosalie nearly beat him but Edward wouldn't listen!"

His words made me very nervous, so I asked him point-blank, "Just tell me what he plans!"

"Edward intends to offer himself to the Volturi and become one of them. He will even live in Volterra just so they get rid of Bella and leave you alone."

"WHAT?" I roared and threw the cup across the room. "What the fucking hell? So he'll be their slave, just so I can pine away without him? The fucking leech is nuts!"

"Told him so."

I stood up and kicked the chair across the room; it broke in pieces after it hit the wall. I paced back and forth across the kitchen, making plans in my head. "I'll just have to go there and drag his sorry, cold ass out of the mess he got into!"

"Atta boy."

I leaned down and put my hands on the table, staring at Emmett. "We'll go to Italy."

* * *

tbc


	4. The moonlit skies

I glared at Emmett. "Quit jostling my elbow!"

The big guy wore a leather trench coat and sunglasses. Even in the wide First Class seats in the Alitalia flight, the hulking vamp soaked up all the space.

"Sorry, man!" Emmett shrugged nonchalantly and turned his attention to the small screen in front of him. He was playing the videogame he coaxed out of the stewardess.

I crossed my arms and sighed, picking up the drink which was on the open tray in front of me. I couldn't get too sloshed because I had to improve my plan to save Edward. I still wasn't satisfied with its shape; I needed a way to get those bastards' attention and make them see things my way.

Gazing around at the other passengers, I wished for some privacy to discuss our plans. "Thought you guys were wealthy. Why didn't you get a private plane or something?"

Emmett glanced sideways at me. He patted the screen and arched his eyebrows. "Sorry, wolf. I'm not good with financial stuff like Alice; I'm not Edward who reads minds. Had to use my credit card." He patted the grey leather of the seat. "After I paid for all the stuff you wanted, this is what I thought I could get away with."

The air inside the plane felt stuffy; I had to wipe my brow with the paper napkin. "We needed the backup, Emmett. I'm not gonna face those bloodsuckers unprepared."

Emmett snorted. "They'll be surprised for sure."

I drummed my fingertips against the armrest, shooting him a grin. "Besides, they charged a fee for changing our flight. The information they gave me turned out useful, though you booked us on the flight to Milan!"

"Last I heard, Jake, Milan is in Italy!" Emmett grinned.

"Rome is way closer to those vamps!"

He sneered. "What, they teach that in wolf school?"

"It's funny, all the information you can find out on the web." I ruffled my hair, trying to be patient. "I looked it up on the wiki page!"

Emmett's smug grin made me hit his shoulder. It hurt my hand - not as much as if I'd been mortal- but it was just satisfying to watch his startled expression.

The brunette stewardess that had brought Emmett his stupid videogame walked to our seats and fussed all over me. "Do you want more champagne?"

"Please!" One more glass couldn't hurt but that would be all. I needed to think with a clear head.

The woman poured the glass, glancing shyly at Emmett, and then she walked away swaying her hips while she mumbled something.

"What did she say?"

Emmett shrugged. "I know a smattering of Italian. That woman thinks we're lovers!"

"What the hell!" I hastily scooted away from him.

Emmett wiped mock tears off his cheek. "Am I ugly, wolf?"

"No way, man!" I said, and then quickly corrected myself. "You're not my type… I mean, what would Edward think?"

Emmett shook his head. "I don't understand you, Jake. You are ready to kick his ass, but now you're afraid of him?"

I sipped the glass of champagne which I'd been nursing. "I'm angry with Edward; doesn't mean I forget how jealous he is."

"Tell me, Jake." Emmett nudged my elbow and leaned towards me. "How come you two got together?"

"It was in the…"

I heard the beeping sound of my new phone and put down the glass before I fished it out of my jeans. I glanced at Quil's icon and pressed it with my thumb.

His message appeared. _'Jake, are you sure it'll work? Jared's pissed off. I think he's claustrophobic.'_

I typed my reply. _'It had better. Jared can suck it up for a while.'_

I hummed to myself while I pocketed the phone, glancing sideways at Emmett, who was shaking his head. "Electronic devices are prohibited during the flight, wolf."

I smirked at him. "If the stewardess catches me, I'll just convince her I was sexting my boyfriend; bet she loves it!"

Emmett's laugh boomed around the cabin, startling an old couple two rows to the front. "I like the way your dirty mind works, Jake."

I picked up the slim glass to sip the champagne, enjoying the itch of the bubbles against my palate. "To answer your question about Edward and me… Do you remember the newborn fight? How Edward, Bella and I camped far away?"

Emmett nodded. "Yep, Edward was all protective as usual."

"Bella got cold during the night and I had to step inside the tent, you know? Lay with her to keep her warm."

"Bet the pampered princess didn't think about bringing thick clothes." Emmett frowned, fingering the tray in front of him.

"Bella fell asleep. And then…." I struggled with the words to convey what I had felt because it was the first time I said it out loud; Edward and I just lived that moment, we didn't talk much about it. "Anyway, she was warm and soft, really everything I had ever wanted. But then I looked up at Edward; he was on the other side of the tent and his face just… kind of glowed I guess. He was smiling at me for once! Edward was open and friendly and we spoke like we never had before."

I looked down at my lap to fiddle with the seatbelt as I blushed, remembering that magic moment. "His hair was darker in the scant light, and the way he looked at me with gleaming eyes…"

"Physical attraction, huh?"

I shook my head. "Nope, way more than that. I was surprised at how free he looked. He wasn't brooding or scowling at me, he just… smiled. And I wanted to keep that smile on his face so I flirted with him."

"Really?"

I mumbled low under my breath, "Frankly, I don't know why I'm telling you this."

Emmett sighed patiently and patted my shoulder awkwardly. "Because I just saved your ass? Because we're going into the unknown and might die? C'mon Jake, spill it!"

I whispered, "Told him I was hotter than him."

"How did he react?" Emmett grinned wolfishly. "Edward can be thick sometimes."

"Don't I know it! But that night, he flirted back." I gazed out the window at the full moon floating serenely above a white sea of clouds. Seemed there was a storm over the Atlantic. I sighed because the glowing moon reminded me when Edward and I danced on the snowy field.

"One thing led to another. I grabbed Bella's iPod and we snuck out of the tent," I said, turning away from the window to face Emmett. "I knew the music she had there and I picked her playlist. Edward and I danced real slowly to this beautiful song while I listened through the earphones and Edward through my thoughts. He read in my mind everything he needed to know."

"Which song was it?" Emmett scowled at me and held up his hands. "Don't tell me it was Chopin."

"Hell, no!" I grinned, remembering the moment. "The song fit the moment so well; it was _'Can't help falling in love with you.'" _

I looked at the moon to hide the tears I felt springing to my eyes when I recalled the night which gave me hope and the day which took it away. My fingers touched the cold window as I silently asked the moon for her blessing just like that night.

"You really love him!" Emmett said musingly.

"I just couldn't fight my feelings anymore," I said with a resigned shrug. "But the next morning, he betrayed me! I found out he and Bella were getting married. It just broke me, Emmett."

I leaned forward and reclined my forehead against the screen in front of me. "I wanted to die so badly; I hoped the newborns would do me the favor of killing me. I wanted to hurt Edward so much and I forced Bella to kiss me, hoping he would suffer a small part of what he had put me through."

"That's why you ran away before the wedding…."

"Yep, I couldn't see him again and know he was _hers_; that the night had been a lie." With the pad of my thumb, I wiped away the lonely tear rolling down my cheek. "But I just couldn't stay away from him; I had to see Edward one last time so I came back."

Emmett's voice was uncharacteristically serious as he turned off the screen. "Edward loves you, too. Jasper had a hard time of it to keep him calm after the newborn hurt you. All the life went out of him after he found out you'd gone away and he didn't look like a man preparing his wedding, but his funeral."

"He still went ahead with it." I kicked the leg of the seat, earning a reproachful glare from the man across the aisle.

"Alice kept pushing him and us. At the end he just couldn't go through with it. When Bella was walking down the aisle, Edward burst out that he wouldn't ever marry her."

"Should've done it sooner."

"Wolf, you don't understand the power of a Singer." Emmet leaned towards me and whispered, "This person's blood calls to you, almost makes you their slave. You're tempted to drink from them because the scent is irresistible. Edward hates killing, so I guess he sublimated this need into his version of tortured love. And then you came along and forced him to confront his real feelings."

"Do the Volturi have Singers, too?"

"I couldn't tell you; those people are old, man." Emmett shrugged. "Aro rules over them because he has the power to read all your memories if he touches you. The Volturi aren't hard to understand because all they want is power and eternal life."

Emmett's words jostled me because my vamp friend had just provided the key parts I needed for my plan to succeed. With help from my friends and the research I did, things were looking better for my vamp. I would rescue Edward's sorry ass and then pound him into next week so he would always consult me before going half-cocked around the world.

I took out the phone and texted Leah. I could count on her to keep my exact plans to herself; I just hoped she wasn't out of range. Much as I loved Quil, the guy had a tendency to spill the truth.

* * *

oOoOo

It wasn't that hard to make our way to Volterra; Emmett just called up a favor from a friend of his who provided transportation. He told me it was someone he met during the Fifties.

Of course, I needled him until he spilled the tale; turned out that Emmett saved this Danish vampire in Spokane from a Volturi assassin who was after her. Years later this woman, Emilie, reconciled with the Italian bloodsuckers and returned to Tuscany.

She received us on the outskirts of Volterra and greeted Emmet before hastily taking her leave. Emmett turned to shrug at me while I cocked my head at the blond woman's back.

"Emilie doesn't want to be seen with us, just in case the Volturi get mad," he said. "By the way, I called Carlisle on the plane."

"When? I don't remember."

"You were sleeping, wolf. It was when we were over Spain I guess. Anyway, Carlisle called me back. He's arranged with Aro so they will grant you safe passage. Thing is, Carlisle is worried that you might not make it alive out of Aro's lair."

"You told the Doc about my plan?"

"Couldn't, Jake." Emmett tapped his ear. "The conversation was probably monitored."

"Huh-uh." I blushed. "I feel like a fool."

"Don't. We'll make a conspirator out of you yet." Emmett grinned at me. "And I like your plan; I give it odds of 50/50."

As I walked between the hulking guards through the lifeless catacombs under Volterra, my nostrils flared as I inhaled a reassuring aroma I knew well, camouflaged beneath other pungent odors.

I heard a moan coming from inside the big wooden door in front of us. With a painful thud in my heart, I wondered if Edward was in pain. What the hell were they doing to him?

The bitchy blond vamp with red eyes opened the door and mockingly bowed at me. "The Volturi condescend to see you, mutt. Treat your betters with respect!"

Flanked by the cold guards, I walked inside. The sound of the footsteps of Carlisle and Emmett behind me was somewhat reassuring. I glanced at Jasper's blond mop of hair peeking from beneath a hood. He was at the edge of the crowd. I hoped he was toning down their obvious cruelty, though I had no illusions. These vamps looked crazed.

My breath caught when Edward stepped from behind two Volturi. His pale chest was bare; in other setting it would have been hot, but here it made me wonder if they intended to torture him to amuse themselves, the sadistic fuckers!

"Why are you here, Jacob?" Edward groaned. He stepped towards me and the big dark-haired guard waved him through, after the lead vamp nodded his approval. This slick-haired vamp looked like their leader because he seemed crazier than the others.

"I don't want you to ever die, Jacob," Edward whispered. "So I sacrificed myself willingly to get their help to get rid of Bella. They assured me you would live."

Caressing him with my eyes, I arched an eyebrow at Edward. _'Don't worry, Ed. I've a plan that has to do with wiki and sewers.'_

"What?" Edward puzzled his eyebrows in that cute manner of his.

"Enough of this chatter!" said a blond guy who looked as if he had just smelled spoiled milk. "Why do we care what the dog wants? We should kill him because he's presumptuous enough to come alone!"

Planting my feet firmly on the ground, I glared at the three pale vampires sitting upright on their fanciful thrones. It was time to show them who held the better cards.

"That's where you are wrong, Blondie!" I snarled at him. "I'm not alone."

"The Cullens cannot protect their dog." The blond sneered nastily. "They are no match for our guards."

Then I whistled shrilly and, like an eerie echo coming from beneath the marble door, the sound was followed by the faint howling of many wolves.

"You may beat the Cullens, but you won't beat my pack!"

* * *

tbc


	5. Confrontation in Volterra

_**Warnings:** Violence, Bella bashing_

* * *

The light filtered through twin slits at the back of the catacomb which had been built during the Middle Ages, leastways the wiki page I consulted said so. The page also provided juicy links which led me to drawings of the drainage system of Volterra. Couldn't understand Italian beyond pizza, but the schematics were easy to follow. Damned useful things to know if you wanted to creep up unawares on people with inhuman sense of smell. The dog scent all damned leeches complained about? It was completely washed out by the pungent scent of the sewers.

I smirked at the Italian vamps while the pretty blond glided towards me in that creepy way they had; he stopped when the sound of the masonry falling behind their thrones startled him. The vamp turned to snarl as heavy pieces of stones glimmered on their way to the marble floor.

Emmett's heavy presence by my side reassured me as he patted my shoulder. "Nifty plan, Jake."

"Glad you approve, man."

"Jake, what did you…?" Edward started to say, but he shut up when I scowled at him. He wasn't my favorite person at the moment.

The old guy who had the poise of a Quileute elder turned to the vampire with slicked black hair. He said, "Aro, it would seem our security is compromised."

The blond leech jumped at me. There was a blurry movement on my left as Edward lifted his hand, hitting the blond's face as he tried to bite me. Emmett tackled the hulking bodyguards, and I was too busy to pay attention to the other leeches. I could hear the crumbling walls, though, and after I phased I shook my muzzle to get rid it of the remains of my clothes which fluttered to the floor in slow motion. Meanwhile, the wolves broke through the walls.

The heavy cloud of dust made me sneeze as I shook my muzzle. Edward had things in hand as he jostled with the bitchy blond guy so I turned to Emmett, who was wrestling with two bodyguards. I was glad that my vamp and Emmett defended me, but I would be damned if I behaved like prissy Bella and just stood there to see the guys battling in my stead.

The world felt surreal inside the dim subterranean hall. I was used to the bright colors of the woods when I saw through wolf eyes, but this place was dark and brooding. There was no sun or moon to guide my steps and it stank of leech.

My nostrils flared as I snapped my jaws shut around the arm of the big guy who wanted to strangle Emmett. Edward's muttered curses were a relief to me, meaning he was alive. The vamp whose arm I'd bitten clawed his fingers around my fur while Emmett twisted his other arm. From the corner of my eyes I saw the pixie leech glide towards Edward, and I heaved my head to free myself because that vampire held no good intentions towards my lover, to judge by her evil smile.

Edward screamed and sank to the floor, the veins on his forehead bulging. The tiny leech glided away when she noticed me, not without bowing mockingly at me amid Edward's cries. My hackles rose and I barked at the vampire before pouncing on her. Sam's big bulk, black as night, stood between us. I had no time to lose and Sam was busy defending himself from the vampires anyway, so I just leaped over him. The marble floor cracked after I landed and snapped my jaws shut around her arm, twisting my head so the sadistic leech would cease hurting Edward. My eyes followed the fissures on the marble spreading away from me; actually, the former neat floor looked like the moon now because cracks extended in all directions as a result of my pack and the Cullens fighting the leeches.

She ceased her attack on Edward and turned to me. I didn't have time to react because I felt like she was driving nails through my body. The pain was awful, just like the time the newborn crushed my chest. Didn't last long because Edward jumped on her, his face twisted on a snarl. As I lay on the floor and panted heavily, I couldn't help but notice how sexy and wild Edward looked. To know that he was angry on my behalf, willing to risk his life to end my pain made me feel loved… and horny.

In the gloomy light, the movements of the people fighting felt eerily disjointed, like we were all inside a night club. Felt like the time Quil dragged me to Seattle when he insisted I had to check out the chicks who hung there, back when he wanted me to forget about Bella.

I heard the wolves barking and yelping in pain, but also agonized screams from the leeches. Seemed to last forever while I rose to my forelegs to pay back the pixie for the pain she'd caused me. In the heat of the battle, I saw the dismembered arm of a leech just below the marble steps that led to the thrones of the Italian leeches.

The battle hadn't lasted that long when the leader of the Volturi shouted, making himself heard amid the noise of his followers and the barking of the wolves. "Stop, all of you! I command you!"

"We should kill them, Aro!" The blond moaned; he was rolling on the floor under Leah's weight. She snapped at his face as the man held her at arm's length, mindful of her menacing jaws.

"It seems we are unable to, dear Caius."

The evil-looking pixie glanced at the struggling leeches and lifted her arms. "You have heard our leader. You must stop fighting!"

The leeches were either very disciplined, or afraid of her. They all stopped, except for the hulking, largest vamp. He stared at her. "But…"

"It's such a shame!" said the man they called Caius. "We have been caught by surprise by these mongrels…"

I snarled at the guy as I advanced towards him; if he thought he could just insult us after we beat their asses to a pulp, he was wrong!

"Caro mio, you are insulting our guests." The leader said, trying to appease me by sounding diplomatic after the battle in which they couldn't prevail over us.

Caius stared at Aro in surprise before bowing shallowly. "I won't apologize to these beasts, even if you command me."

"I don't expect you to," said Aro as he glided towards me. His eyes looked like gleaming buttons from hell in the gloomy room, but I wasn't afraid. Fear had no part in my plans so I stared at him with defiance.

"If you would deign to assume a shape more fitting for talking, _caro lupo_." Aro smiled crazily as if he heard jokes only he could understand.

I glanced at Edward and he hastily took off his cloak. I had to admit that my tongue lolled while I stared at his sculpted, marble chest.

"Come on, Jake," he said with a smirk. "Don't leave Aro waiting after he's called you _dear wolf_."

I shook my muzzle, glaring weakly at him. Edward really had no business being all sexy and alluring while we were in mortal danger. After I shifted, I had no time to dress because Edward gently wrapped the cloak around my shoulders, shielding my bare body from the other vamps. I narrowed my eyes at him while I grabbed the hem. So Edward thought he could manhandle me and be all jealous, after he left me alone to come here without talking about it first? Damned leech!

Edward gulped. "Allow me to explain, Jacob…"

"Later." I said curtly, swirling the cape while I stepped away, pretending I didn't see his befuddled expression.

The cloak was short, it barely reached my knees. I glanced down and then looked up at Emmett, who was walking towards me.

His hands moved in a blur as he took off his beige pants. "You will need formal clothes if you are to parlay, wolf," Emmett said gently, trying to ignore the sound of Edward snarling at him.

I heard Sam barking an order to the pack. Probably he wanted them to phase since we were out of danger for the moment.

I glanced at Emmett's bare thighs, realizing the guy was built all over; I leaned on him as I put on his cargo pants as I blushed hotly. It felt nice to be cared by the two vampires, even if my boyfriend was growling because he was jealous.

Meanwhile, things had quieted down. The vamps were on one side of the vaulted room and formed a ring around their three leaders while Aro tried to reason with the uppity blond.

I noticed Quil's burly body standing protectively in front of Leah while she dressed. He and Embry were adjusting their cutoffs, forming a screen behind which Leah was safe from the vampires.

I had to smile at that; my friends were protective of the tough girl, even if she sometimes drove them crazy.

"Aro, we shouldn't listen to them," whispered the deadly blonde girl.

Aro lifted a hand to stop her. "Nevertheless, we will listen, Jane. I agreed to hear what this _cucciolo_ has to say."

"That cub, Aro, just proved to be more resourceful than your guards," said Edward.

I raised my eyebrow at my lover, who had crossed his arms. "Thanks, man."

Edward pouted at me while Dr. Cullen whispered to Sam, "Is everybody all right?"

"Paul has a dislocated shoulder, I think," said Sam.

I glanced at my pack mate, who was wincing in pain. Hopefully the Doc would fix him soon.

"They attacked us!" Caius said in shrill voice.

"Please," said the old vampire who stood next to Aro. "They were only defending themselves. I am most interested in what the young man thinks."

"Marcus, I refuse to just stand here and…"

The old vamp, Marcus, just shook his head and disregarded the blond while he glanced fleetingly at me. It was unnerving the way he stared at Edward as he puzzled his eyebrows, his gaze sliding towards the other Cullens until he stopped at Emmett.

"Interesting," mumbled Marcus.

Aro smiled fondly at him and then glided towards me. "Why did you come, young wolf? We had come to an agreement with Edward…"

I said eagerly, "So you'll help us get rid of Bella?"

"No. We had come to an agreement regarding your safety." Aro's red eyes glittered with malice. "Until your friends interrupted us in such an exciting fashion."

"Bella is dangerous," I said exasperatedly, my fingers brushing through my hair.

"She isn't, young man." Aro turned to his companions before he added, "She is a newborn, therefore she will be unpredictable. She is free to do what she wants as long as these newborn things do not threaten to expose us to the mortals."

"She is a danger to all! Why don't you believe me?" I shouted at him, and then shook my head at my inability to make him understand. I had to do better because I was starting to sound as shrill and whiny as Bella.

"Why should we change the way we deal with our own?" Aro said, obviously enjoying my exasperation.

"Bella isn't like the rest of you!" I growled at him. "You don't understand her like I do! I have loved her and mourned her. I get the way she thinks."

Caius glared at me. "Why should we listen to you, whelp?"

"That's enough, _caro mio_." Aro smiled in a grim fashion. "Let the wolf speak."

Aro's condescending tone betrayed him, though. The Volturi wouldn't listen to me unless I forced him to. I needed this guy's cooperation and also the power of the Volturi, having glimpsed it during our confrontation.

I wasn't one of the mortals they obviously despised so I used my fast reflexes to reach towards him, grabbing his wrist before the guards could react.

Aro closed his eyes, grimacing in pain as he stumbled backwards. The vampire guards rushed towards me and held my arms, but Marcus stopped them. The leech, who seemed a bit kinder than the others, raised his voice. "Do not harm this young man unless we command you!"

Shaking his head, Aro stared at me with wide eyes. I hoped that Emmett had been right and this vamp had the power to read all the thoughts I'd ever had, that he could grasp everything I had ever gone through. Because the Volturi knew about me and Edward, I had nothing to hide and it might even do us good to show this guy that the Quileute pack was not to be tampered with. We would defend ourselves with claws and jaws.

Most of all, I hoped he would realize how dangerous Bella was; my former crush was nothing like the usual newborns with that freak power she had.

I swept my gaze around the room, crowded with otherworldly beings, and I said loudly, "Bella is a danger to you guys because of what she wants! She craves immortality and eternal youth, among other things; that's why she clung to Edward."

Hunching my shoulders, I bowed my head and looked at my lover. _'Sorry, Cullen, but that's my conclusion.'_

"It's fine, Jake," Edward said softly. "I don't think you're correct, but..."

"Whatever." I interrupted him because I was still pissed off at him; then I looked at the Volturi.

"Bella wants immortality so much that she was willing to forsake her family to get it. Now that she's strong, she will get rid of whoever stands in her way." I scowled at Caius, the blond. For once, the guy kept his fucking mouth shut.

"You know what she told me? She can deflect the power of any bloodsucker, even yours. You know what that means, right?"

"Is it true, _caro mio_?" Aro's glance softened as he spoke to Carlisle.

"I believe so, Aro."

"Bella will get an army of newborns behind her; she will come and attack you because she's as sanguinary as the redheaded bitch we fought!" I said earnestly.

"She won't succeed, dog." The blond guy sneered. "We are the invincible Volturi."

"I'm afraid the wolf is right." Aro nodded at me. "I have seen the evidence in the mind of this handsome youth. Do you remember the tourists we had for lunch last week?"

"Can't say I do, dear Aro." Marcus twisted his face in a grimace.

I shook my head at the weird imagery of the Volturi dining with mortals, and then the truth hit me like a hammer: they hadn't shared food with people; instead they killed them to drink their blood!

I scrunched up my face in revulsion and thus missed Aro's next words.

"…. the physicist from CERN had interesting thoughts which merge with Jacopo's words."

"What do you mean?" said Edward.

"_Cara_ Bella has a strange power, not unlike Benjamin's." Aro looked towards the destroyed wall with a pensive expression. "The thoughts of this young man hint at something deeper; Edward's _cantante_ appears to bend reality to her will."

"What?" Edward muttered uncomprehendingly.

Aro smiled sinisterly at us. "Why else would such handsome creatures fight for every scrap of her attention? Obviously she is a threat to our existence."

Aro said with finality. "We will support you to get rid of her."

* * *

oOoOo

I squinted at the brightly lit plaza while the Cullens followed me, wrapped in thick cloaks that covered them from prying eyes. The pack was at the other side, near the mouth of a narrow alleyway as they waited for us.

My hand reached toward Edward's because I wanted the reassurance of his presence. I still hadn't forgiven him completely, though.

"I don't need or want your forgiveness, Jacob."

"What the hell!" I muttered through clenched teeth.

"I did what I had to do to save you."

"You could've told me. I am your partner, you know." I turned to glare at him. "I won't do with you what I did with Bella. I refuse to be your toy!"

I poked his chest, my indignation rising. "You just up and left to offer yourself to the Volturi without consulting me!"

"Jacob, I had to…"

"I'm not your Bella whom you had to protect every step of the way!" I shouted, letting him have it in full. I wouldn't repeat with Edward what I did with her. I should have yelled at Bella and made her realize how selfish she was. Maybe then she wouldn't have persisted in her stupid course, though I doubted she would have listened to me.

"If that's the way you think about me, we're finished!" I said.

"What?"

"I'd rather be with someone who cares about me than with a person who thinks they are the center of the world, like Bella." I looked at the startled faces of the Cullens and found Emmett's sympathetic eyes. "I'd rather be with someone like Emmett."

"Are you suggesting…?"

I didn't let Edward finish. "Why not? Emmett did what you didn't have the patience to do; he explained things and listened to me."

I was fed up with Edward, so I walked away from him and yelled over my shoulder, "Leave me alone!"

"Wait, Jake!"

I snarled at the pigeons which descended in a cloud to peck at the grains lying at the center of the square.

"I'm sorry, Jacob." The desolate tone of Edward's voice made me stop. I felt him behind me, and the coldness near my neck meant his hand was poised over my shoulder. "I love you; truly I do. You're not some toy, but the most precious being in the world for me."

"Go on," I muttered when he stopped. Despite my anger, I sympathized with him. Maybe I would have reached the same conclusions Edward did; the difference was that I would have talked matters with him and reached an understanding the way I tried to do with Bella so many times, in vain.

"When you walked into the Volturi's lair, I died inside." Edward's voice almost broke and I closed my eyes as he continued. "I despise them with all my heart, but I was willing to endure their hell because there's something else in this world that outweighs my hate for them."

His soft hand on my shoulder soothed me as he said softly, "It's you, Jacob. You're the one I've always waited for, even before I met you."

I turned to look at him. "Do you mean that?"

"I wish you could read my mind." Edward said with a sad smile. "You would find yourself haunting my every thought. You would discover the plots I weave endlessly to ensure your safety, because if something happened to you… life would cease to mean anything."

He sighed and hid his hands inside the cloak. "I know that my existence can't be called life, but…"

I kissed him. I tried to erase his doubts the only way I knew how, by anchoring him to my world, joining our bodies so he would briefly forget his doubts which so eerily mirrored mine. Under the bright Italian sun, his coldness soothed my soul like the sheltering shadows of the woods that were home. He was Edward, the man who drove me nuts because I loved him so much.

* * *

tbc


	6. Toscana interlude

_**Warning:** NC-17, upcoming m/m/m threesome_

* * *

"What's on your mind, wolf?"

I looked up at him as I chased the last of the whipped cream with my tongue; then I shrugged. "Have to talk to you, Em. I need to explain myself."

"Go on, Jake." Emmett crossed his arms and slouched on the chair for a moment, his gaze sliding to the window and the bright plaza beyond. I put down the glass as he leaned toward me and then he swiped his thumb across my lip. The hairs on the nape of my neck rose just as if I was in wolf form.

I reached my hand across the table to encircle his thick forearm. "Don't do that!"

"Why not? You had cream on your lips." Emmett grinned innocently. Didn't he know how his touch had affected me? Thankfully he could not read minds like Edward. The thought of my vampire brought me back to the task at hand.

"We have to talk about…"

"… the Volturi?" Emmett said teasingly as he cocked his head at the cloaked figure that studied us from the street outside. I could smell the Volturi stench, even mixed with the cinnamon and nutmeg coming from our drinks. This was the leering guy who kept tabs on me, the one who had looked at me with disapproval in his eyes when I left our hotel room and muttered insults under his breath.

I had to shake my head. It felt unreal to be protected by the bad guys; Bella had always moaned about those sinister Italian vampires, back when she was the girl I was in love with.

And now, as I looked at Emmett's twinkling eyes and the smooth planes of his cheeks, those days seemed like a faraway dream.

When the vampire cocked his eyebrows in that quirky way he had, I lost my patience; I was more irritated at myself than him, to be honest. Emmett had been nothing but helpful, while I…

"Don't be coy, Emmett!" I reclined on the chair and pushed away the small plate which had the cappuccino. "I meant about us."

"There isn't an us, Jacob." He pouted slightly and looked at the window with a pensive look.

"Where's Rosalie?" I toyed with the napkin, reluctant to look into his warm honey eyes. I needed to find out about her before proceeding further because Emmett was always gushing about the Blondie, to the point where it annoyed me. Yet he had been strangely silent about her lately. Though we often sparred verbally, I liked Rosalie and there was no way I would hurt her. I wasn't like _her._

"She left for Forks." Emmett leaned towards me, his eyes shining brightly while he fingered the cappuccino glass in front of me, the smell of nutmeg and Emmett making me dizzy. "Since we're having a heart to heart, wolf, I'm going to be honest. Rose and I have an agreement. Our relationship has always been… unconventional, though to be sure, Bella never noticed. That girl never had eyes for anything but herself."

"Oh, I see." I said slowly while my heart clenched painfully. Did that mean that the hunky vampire indulged in flings and got back to his wife afterwards?

"But the attraction I feel for her has declined, Jacob. Guess that's the reason we wed so frequently, to rekindle our love. I've found out it doesn't work that well, though." Emmett glared at the silhouette of the Volturi on the street and then he snaked his hand behind my chair, subtly pulling me closer to him. He whispered in my ear, "The thing I wanna know is, what about you and Edward?"

"We spoke at the hotel." I lowered my eyes, feeling the hot blush spreading across my cheeks. "Edward knows me too well; in fact he insisted we should talk."

I fingered the checkered cotton napkin, and the softness reminded me of the sheets in our bed and what had happened just hours ago…

* * *

oOoOo

Once Edward and I made it to the hotel room, which had been booked by the Italian leeches, I went to the bathroom to relieve myself. It was hard to do because I was so stiff. Something about the confrontation with Edward and our kiss just made me horny. I gazed at the mirror and opened it; there was no lube and I grabbed the shampoo instead. It would have to do.

I smirked when I heard Edward's soft grunts coming from the room. Smiling in triumph, I looked at him from the threshold, noting his copper-colored hair which appeared to shine in the sun.

"Do you like what you see?" He asked with a smile while I said nothing, studying instead the way the occasional sunbeam struck sparks from the skin I wanted to caress. I pounced on him and kissed him like there would be no tomorrow. It wasn't refined or slow because I had this hunger to be inside him.

"Love what I see, man." I nudged him towards the bed as he shimmied his pants and boxers down. He was still wearing the cloak so I ripped it off him and threw it to the floor. I wanted no part of the Volturi to touch Edward's body, he was mine and I would prove it to him.

As I hooked my thumbs around the beige waistband of the cargo pants, I recalled they were Emmett's and my cock throbbed at the thought that his prick had been there, too. I lowered them to my feet and stepped out of them. My fingers fumbled with the damned shampoo until I opened it, upending the black and white bottle so the thick liquid covered my shaft and fingers

It was sloppy and uncomfortable; didn't have the same thickness as our lube but it would have to do. I stabbed my fingers inside him, and with my other hand I pushed his leg up to his chest so he was open for me. The details blurred in the sun because this was a moment of doing, not thinking; claiming and not talking.

So we communicated through grunts and groans as I slipped inside him. I closed my eyes as my fingers caressed his cold skin, breathing deeply his scent which I once hated and now was part of me. As I thrust in and out, I listened in the darkness to Edward's moans, picturing in my mind my remembrance of him. It was what compelled me to return, back when I thought he was lost to me. The smell of him, the heft of him. Edward. Mine in my fantasies and now in the flesh. It was worth it, and I tried to chase away my other thoughts as I pumped into him.

My fingers reached for his cock, fumbling because I hadn't opened my eyes. Edward's hand reached for mine and together, we brought him to completion. I groaned at the tight coldness clenching around me and thrust inside him once or twice before I came.

I felt weary all of a sudden and, after I slipped out of Edward with a popping sound, I laid alongside him and leaned my head on his chest, wiggling my hips to avoid the wet spot. We stayed silent for a while, listening to the occasional sharp sounds of the motorbikes speeding on the narrow street behind the hotel.

"You're silent, Jake." Edward's hand touched my cheek and I leaned into his touch.

"Don't feel like talking, Ed."

"Still mad at me?"

"No… yes. I don't know." I looked at the window, nuzzling his chest as my fingertips tapped against his ribs. "I don't understand why you couldn't tell me your plans. We could've found a way to deal with Bella together."

"You heard Aro."

"That she can bend reality? That's farfetched."

"Not really. Aro's thoughts provided me with a simple explanation for her stumbling around."

"Nope, that won't wash. She got hurt, doesn't rhyme with what the crazed Italian leech said."

"It was nothing serious, and there was always someone around who would help or sympathize with Bella."

"So she did it to get sympathy then, not because she has this power."

"No, her awkwardness is natural and not feigned. It's as if she never had to watch her step; she's never had to face real pain because the world _shifts_ around her." Edward caressed my hair and his hand slid down to cup my cheek. "You are all grace, Jake. But I know you weren't so poised when you were younger."

"So what, no one is!"

"Exactly my point, Jacob. We all have to face the consequences of our actions and when we hurt ourselves as children, we learn to avoid stumbling and watch our steps. Bella was so awkward because she never had to do this; the world subtly adjusted to her needs."

I shook my head, my cheek rubbing against his soft chest hair as I mulled the implication of his words. I was ready to discount Edward's thinking until I remembered Bella jumping from the cliff. The first time I dived with the pack, I sprained my leg because I hit the water at an awkward angle, yet Bella made it through the whole ordeal without so much as a scratch. She didn't even get a cold from the freezing water!

Every peril she faced, we were there keeping our eyes on her. Edward took care of the bloodsucker called James; Sam conveniently found her in the forest when she was moping over Edward, and the pack protected her from the vampire with dreadlocks. I realized then it was all too contrived to be real. In retrospect, it felt as if we were pulled towards Bella not because she was dear to us, but because the world forced us to.

Emmett had insisted that Edward had to obey his Singer. Was it just another instance of the universe bending itself to Bella's whims?

"I think so, Jake. Aro's words forced me to realize the truth. I was nothing but a toy to her." Edward sounded so wistful I kissed his skin, burrowing my nose in his chest.

My voice was muffled by his cold flesh. "Don't say that, man. You're worthy of love."

"So is Emmett."

"What?" I looked up at him, moving my body so I my cheek nuzzled against his ear. "What's Emmett got to do with it?"

"When I left you I wanted to protect your life, but also wanted you to find happiness." Edward said softly. "I thought that Emmett and you would find your way to each other; this way you would forgive me in time."

"Edward, you were snarling at Emmett a while ago."

"I'm jealous, wolf. It doesn't mean I don't want you both happy."

"But what about Rosalie?"

"That's not my secret to tell, Jacob." Edward kissed the corner of my lips. "You'll have to ask Emmett. Suffice it to say that he is attracted to you, and in your thoughts I've read you find him… not disagreeable."

I thought of Em's impressive body in the Volturi catacomb, the graceful way he had given me his clothes and that easy smile that lit up his face on the flight here. The companionship that eased my worries in Forks had its physical side, and I had to agree with Edward.

"But what about us?" I whispered against his cheek. "I love you."

"So do I. But we are supernatural beings, Jacob. The road ahead of us is so vast, stretching into eternity, that normal mores won't work anymore. It's what Bella wouldn't understand…"

Edward wouldn't say more. I could tell by the way he shivered that something Bella said or did had hurt him, and I wished she was around so I could sink my claws into her.

"What did she do?" I propped myself up on my elbows, staring down at Edward as my fingertips traced his eyebrows. "Please tell me!"

"The night before the wedding ceremony, I talked about an open relationship between us but she scoffed at me and refused my request. I hinted that the three of us…"

I placed my fingertips against his lips to shut him up while I glared at him. "Are you nuts, Edward? I would never share you with any woman!"

Edward freed himself with his superior strength and manhandled me with ease, pinning me to the bed while he crouched above me. I fisted the cotton sheets as his fingers encircled my wrists, my body shivering in need when he said roughly, "So you would share me with a man, with Emmett? Talk to him before we leave Volterra!"

"Why?"

"Because life is too short, Jacob." He said softly as he caressed my palms. "We could die when we face Bella; Aro is sure that this world-bending of hers might have apocalyptic consequences. We have to seize what little happiness the world grants us."

* * *

oOoOo

I reached towards Emmett's cappuccino and swallowed a mouthful, scowling at the red and white squares of the napkin in exasperation. "This is fucking difficult!"

I threw the napkin to the floor and wrapped my hand around my neck. "Talking about us is way harder than facing the Volturi!"

"Here you are, wolf," Emmett said while he picked up the napkin and put it on my lap, squeezing my thigh. "And please, don't blush; it makes me want to do things to you."

I sighed in frustration. "You must think I do it on purpose, that I'm flirting and teasing you."

"No way, Jacob, you're just…"

I lifted up my hand. "Lemme explain, Em."

Taking a deep breath, my gaze strayed away from him as I looked out the window at the lively plaza in the distance. "You've been kind and kept me out of trouble in Forks. Even saved my life while you managed to cheer me up in the process, cracking awful jokes."

"Nice to see I'm appreciated," he quipped.

I nodded. "You're… you're a great guy to be around, 'kay? On the flight here, I sensed something between us."

"So did I, wolf, so did I."

"But then we rushed to rescue Edward and I forgot all about you." I nodded to the waiter who approached us with another cappuccino. The man nodded as he smacked his lips, staring intently at my red and golden henley. Emmett wasn't pleased at the behavior of the guy; I noticed his nostrils flaring and his jaw twitching.

I patted his hand to calm him down as I grabbed the hot cappuccino glass. "We were this close together." I held my thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "And when we come here I gush all over Edward."

I lowered my gaze and studied the checkered tablecloth, whispering, "I flirted with you when I told Edward I'd hook up with you in front of you."

"Jacob, I don't think that…"

Ignoring his words, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I behaved exactly like Bella, doing to you the things she did to me. Can you see that, Em? Can you see that I hate to be like _her_?"

I felt Emmett's coldness near me and I shivered at the soft feeling of his fingers brushing through my hair. "No one is saying you are, Jake. Calm down, please!"

I peered at him through half-lidded eyes. "Do you think so? Though Edward understands this thing between us, I can't just jump into it."

"I know, Jacob."

"I won't play with you, man." I lifted my chin to stare at him. "Won't keep you on a limb just to have a sexy hunk available when Edward misbehaves. If something is to happen between us, I'll give it all I've got." I pointed to the Volturi on the street. "Even if the guy over there thinks I'm a hungry cockslut."

He suddenly stood up and stepped away. I hunched my shoulders, sure that Emmett agreed with the words the guy muttered when I passed him on the corridor of the hotel. The Volturi had surely smelled the scent of Edward on me.

Instead, I felt the ghostly caress of his cold fingers on my cheek. He said slowly, as if he was trying to keep himself in check, "Sweet and sexy Jacob, you obviously have no idea what you do to me, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"First, if someone says those words about you in front of me, I'll beat them and tear off their arms just for the heck of it!" Emmett said forcefully and then he lowered his voice to a whisper, "When you were naked in front of all the Volturi, you were strong, man! You just didn't give a damn and I admired that about you, along with your sexy bod."

I grabbed the glass and gulped down the rest of the coffee, damning the hot blush spreading through my cheeks at his predatory gaze. "You did?"

I noticed the elegantly-clad patron at the next table had laid down her phone to stare at us.

"You lay yourself bare with your words and that takes guts, lemme tell you." He shook his head. "Gotta hand it to you; you're honest, wolf, nothing at all like the spoiled princess. In fact, you remind me of Rosalie."

"What?" I wiped the cream off my lips with the pad of my thumb, not wanting Emmett to do it for me.

"She's always honest, though people don't appreciate it." He caressed my arm and turned to look at the square, thronging with people. Then he picked up the heavy cloak on the back of his chair and laid it upon his broad shoulders with a graceful gesture. "I love that about her but, like I told you, we drifted apart. It's the curse of looming eternity. And then you showed up, a bright young guy, vital and teeming with life like a young pup." He growled softly, "You… you and Edward were mesmerized with Bella, though. I hated that!"

"I had no idea, Em."

He nodded and said through clenched teeth, "Hated that I had to keep mouth and mind shut so as not to disturb little Bella's paradise. It chafed a lot 'cause I wanted so much to knock sense into both of your stubborn heads. You and Edward!"

"You like Edward, your brother?"

Emmet snorted and crossed his arms across his bulging chest. "Wanna set something straight in your pretty head, wolf. Edward and I aren't brothers but part of the same coven… kindred spirits if you will. I love him for his struggles, for what he is."

"That's… "I searched for words but Emmet didn't let me finish.

"Let's talk about you for a sec, all open and honest and sexy," he said quietly. "Your voice does things to me, Jake."

Emmett leaned down to whisper in my ear. "I don't give a damn what the creepy guard thinks. He's just jealous of you."

I closed my eyes, absorbing his words which felt like thick honey pouring over me. "You know what, Jake? I want you to be a cockhungry slut for me. In the damned Volturi lair and right now. I want to throw you on the floor and have my way with you, in the worst way."

I shuddered at that, my arousal twitching against my thin cotton pants.

I opened my eyes as Emmet cupped my chin, gently pulling me up towards him. I saw his golden eyes up close, warm and strong as the sun over the wheat fields when we drove up here. His mouth touched mine and I let myself go, not caring about the Italian lady who was fanning herself with her phone, the Volturi, or the upcoming confrontation with Bella.

His lips felt different, demanding and rougher than Edward's. Strange but just as electrifying. I wrapped my hand around the nape of his neck and pulled him down towards me, needing more of him. I was lost in the kiss which shot sparks all through my body. It made me miss Edward; I wanted to kiss him right after Emmett just to compare.

He let me go with a sigh. I looked into his darkened eyes as he growled, "This is a foretaste of what I can give you, wolf. Talk with Edward all you want but you'd better come to a decision soon, Jacob, because next time I kiss you there'll be fucking involved."

* * *

tbc


	7. Hot Volterra nights

_**Warnings:** NC-17, Bella bashing, threesome, graphic sex and language_

* * *

After his scorching kiss and the parting words that sent a pang straight to my cock, Emmett just up and left!

I watched him saunter towards the door, taking off the cloak to grab his wallet. He paid the bill and smiled at the cashier, who was a scruffy guy. The two talked a bit; the man gazed hungrily at Emmett while he fidgeted with something on the counter.

I scowled at them. No wonder the thin guy tried to chat up Em; the way the shirt hugged his body would make anyone swoon. His broad torso tapered to a slim waist which was hugged by the cargos he liked to wear. Guess I was used to seeing him in his usual hoodie, so the contrast between the black silk and his pale biceps was startling. I closed my legs, trying to hide my growing bulge.

The lady stood up and walked towards the exit, mumbling something in Italian after her phone almost slipped from her fingers.

Watching Emmett stalk away, I imagined our bodies wrapped around each other as he pounded into me. I bit my knuckles to muffle my groan and then dashed out of the café, trying to avoid the impressionable woman.

I had to walk off my lust by taking a stroll through Volterra. Besides, it would give me time to reflect. Meandering through the pretty town and evading the tourists, I entered a narrow side street. The cobblestones looked oddly regular and my fingers grazed now and then the peeling paint of the building. Then I gazed up at the distant church, noting that the opposite sides of the street were joined by a kind of arch. I shrugged, thinking that Edward would know the correct name of the thing.

Behind me, the vampire snarled, "Slut!"

I had had enough of that guy! I turned and pounced on him using my fast reflexes, jostling his body so his stupid cowl fell off his face. A stray ray of sunshine struck sparks off his leering mug.

"What's the matter, bloodsucker?" I jabbed my finger at the guy's jugular. "Wanna fight? That's all right! Will phase right here and now and tear you to shreds, fucking leech!"

"You wouldn't dare defy the Volturi!" the guy said, but his shivering body betrayed him. The Volturi guard was afraid. Good.

"I sure would, because your prissy leaders support me. They need my help to get rid of the bitch that will destroy the world!" I paused, giving him a shake for good measure as I pretended to think. "Let's see… the girl's powers increased because she's a fucking leech!"

It felt damn good to push the Volturi against the wall. I knew that despite his scornful attitude, he couldn't touch me. The Italian vamps really needed me and the pack.

"So… what will it be, fucker? Going mano a mano, or are you just a sissy leech?"

The vampire pushed me away and I stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. The man snarled, "You damned…"

"That'll be enough, Cheiron!" The voice sent a shiver down my spine because I realized it belonged to one of the head leeches.

Out of the gloomy alley, a cowled man stepped towards us, flanked by unequal bodyguards: the tiny blonde vamp and a hulking leech. When I saw his aged face, I recognized him.

"Return to the citadel at once!" He snapped his fingers at the leech in front of me, who bowed.

"As you command, Marcus."

The cowed guard left, not without glaring at me one last time.

The old Volturi nodded at me and then cocked his head at the alley. "Won't you take a stroll with me, young man?"

Intrigued by his actions, I nodded while I stuck my hands inside my pockets; though if Marcus expected me to apologize for my outburst, he was dead wrong.

But Marcus just said, "You must understand that Cheiron has suffered from unrequited love for hundreds of years. He thinks of what you might accomplish and that unhinges his senses." Marcus stuck his hands inside his cloak and shrugged. "I'm afraid Aro made a mistake in appointing him to guard you."

As I walked next to him, I noticed the passersby made a wide arc around us.

"He annoyed me is all," I muttered sullenly. "Why is he guarding me, anyway?"

"Aro tells me the world rests on a fog woven out of probability." Marcus stopped and pointed at the arch just ahead. "That means there's a possibility that the mortar that sustains the heavy stones above us might suddenly weaken; thus, they could fall onto you and kill you, my young friend."

I gazed at him with wide eyes. "You mean Bella's power could reach across the ocean?"

"I'm not sure," Marcus said. "Aro is anxious, though. It would seem you worry, too. Our spies report your pack as missing."

"They're…"

Marcus hastily lifted his hand. "Do not tell me your plans, young man. The walls have ears." He frowned at me. "In a world that shifts to accommodate Isabella, even your brain might betray you."

It was unreal, having this conversation with him, accompanied by the other guards. It felt like a fairytale to see them in the old street out in the open because I was used to fight their kind in the woods back home.

I gazed up and down the alley. "Aren't you afraid the people will notice you're vamps?"

Marcus smiled softly. "Deep in their bones, the people of Volterra are quite aware of that fact, Jacoppo. They have adapted to us because they recognize the world poses greater dangers." He glided in that unearthly way vamps had and tilted up his chin to gaze at the arch. "I watched a young lady throw herself from up there in despair, her dark locks framing her pale face as her satin gown fluttered in the breeze. Her family was murdered, you see, after the imperial troops of Charles the Fifth captured Volterra. I saw the pikes and helmets of the mercenaries hired by the Emperor gleaming in the midday sun, and smelled the acrid stench of the powder they used in their muskets. Must have been after they dared to sack the Eternal City. I'm afraid I don't quite recall the exact date."

Marcus' voice and stance were stamped with pride, and I realized he must have seen Rome when it was young. Glancing at the aged buildings and the church up ahead, I suddenly felt very small and young. All those centuries the vamps had over me wore me down, making me feel even more inexperienced than I was.

Marcus glanced at me and he must have noticed something, because he shrugged. "Jacoppo, excuse the ramblings of an old vampire who envies youth the way Cheiron covets your life."

I nodded at him, and then cocked my head at a woman who was scurrying away from us. "So you mean to tell me she knows you're a vamp?"

"Not consciously perhaps, but her body certainly reacts to the presence of a predator." He shrugged. "Suffice it to say that the city knows and accepts us, welcoming our protection. We try not to feed on the men and women who live here, and Volterra certainly has noticed that."

"Huh, that's… nice," I said, trying to be polite because the man had defended me, after all. I didn't understand what he was getting at, though.

"The reason I mention this, young man, is because I am sure the world is trying to protect itself. Aro is not aware of this shift, but I sense bonds and…"

I looked at him sharply. "What?"

He smiled sinisterly. "Aro told me about the aurora and the way it affected _cara_ Bella."

I snorted when Marcus mentioned the bitch. Bella had fallen in my affections when she tried to kill me and it was Emmett, the big hunk, who saved me. The remembrance of Em snarling in anger at her while he defended me made me shiver all over.

Marcus said something, and I came to the present with a start.

"… Jacoppo, do you realize the import of that?"

"What?" I said, a bit thickly.

Marcus smiled malevolently. "It occurs to me that the aurora might be the world's reaction against dear Isabella."

"We must seize on that and kill the conceited bitch!" The tiny vampire smirked while she rubbed her hands with glee. I shuddered at the murderous glint in her red eyes.

"Exactly, Jane." Marcus grinned fondly at her. "With the help of the Cullen coven and this young man's pack, we will put a stop to her."

I was glad that Marcus exuded this assurance, because I certainly was worried. I had seen the way Bella carried herself when she attacked me, all poise and confidence.

Recalling Edward's words about the world favoring her, I felt cold dread wrap my heart. What if my infatuation with Emmett played into Bella's hands?

Then I glanced up at the sharp sound of a motorbike, which made me recall carefree days in Forks before I met the Cullens. That led me to thinking, what if Edward and I were destined to be together and Emmett was just a wrench thrown into the mix, not because of the guy's doing but to favor Bella?

I sighed brokenly at that.

"You seem sad, Jacoppo," Marcus stopped near the exit of the alleyway. "You carry a heavy burden upon your shoulders, just like I did."

"You did?" I said, balancing on the balls of my feet.

"When our coven started, things were in turmoil. Aro and Caius are harsh and contradictory fellows. We had to strike a very delicate balance in order to mesh our talents in the most effective fashion. Our coven proved successful due to the leadership of the _three_ of us."

"You mention that number as if it's important." I bit my bottom lip, watching a small Ford pass through the street ahead of us.

"Our combined talents carried the day against our enemies." He bowed at me, indicating our conversation was over. "Three is a mystical number, as you are starting to discover yourself."

He waved towards the old church in whose shadows we stood. "I must take leave of you. Behind the nave there's the entry to an underground passage that leads to our lair, but I suspect you already know that."

I blushed when he mentioned my knowing about the subterranean passages, and then I scuffed my loafers on the cobbled stones. "Found the maps of the catacombs on the web, it was other people who did all the work."

He smiled briefly. "You knew where to look, Jacoppo; that is magic in and of itself."

As Marcus glided away, I whispered softly, "Why did you say that about Emmett?"

If something bad threatened Em, I wanted to know beforehand so I could protect him.

Having heard me because of his vamp hearing, Marcus stopped at the other end of the street and whispered, "You will know in time, Jacoppo. The journey awaiting you is quite exciting."

* * *

oOoOo

On the way to the hotel, the faint breeze coming from the fields surrounding the city carried the stench of the tiny vamp who was shadowing me. It reminded me oddly of Edward and Emmett. The tangled feelings in my heart when I thought about my two vamps, coupled with Marcus' words, gave me a lot to ponder.

I opened the door to our room and pocketed the card, smiling at the sight of Edward. He nodded at me; he looked so cozy lounging on the couch, I could picture him in just that pose in those old days Marcus talked about. The cover of the book resting on Edward's lap was as glossy as his silky bathrobe.

"You talked with Emmett." Edward's smile while he leafed through the thick book refreshed me. It was the same one he wore the night that we slow danced on the snow. The music coming from the loudspeakers was soothing; guessed it was something with strings.

I went to the bathroom to do my business, calling out to him, "That I surely did."

Walking into the bedroom, a new thought struck me. What if Emmett and Edward were the ones destined to be together and it was me who was the wrench in the machine? Damn Bella and her powers!

"Jacob, don't even think about that!" Edward said hoarsely, putting down the book and looking sharply at me, "I am sure that my love for you wasn't coerced, it just… came to be. Your doubt saddens me."

Edward gazed at me, the corners of his lips twisting upwards in a predatory smirk as he grabbed the remote control and turned off the stereo.

As he walked towards me, his bathrobe opened and I bit my bottom lip at the sight of his pale chest against the red silk.

"I'm glad you like the sight, wolf," Edward said before shrugging off the garment which fell to the floor. I groaned at the sight of his pale cock, jutting proudly from his wiry pubes. I licked my lips, watching the throbbing, purple cockhead as a single drop of precome oozed from the slit.

The talk with Marcus was fresh in my mind, just like the worries about her powers. So I shuddered in a mix of dread and desire at the realization that we could be dead soon. The hotel could catch fire or a huge meteorite could fall on Volterra. Edward was right; we had to seize the opportunities the world gave us, delightful chances like making love to Edward.

I hurriedly toed off my loafers and unbuttoned my pants. Then I clasped my thumbs around the soft cotton waistband, skimming my pants and white briefs down my legs. I balled them up and turned to throw them to the floor just next to the bed.

Meanwhile, I heard Edward padding towards me; he grabbed the hem of my henley shirt and slipped it off my body.

I felt his arousal nestling against my crack while he whispered heatedly, "Your giving in to your desires does not make you a cockslut at all, Jacob."

"Read my mind, huh?" I clenched my buttocks around his girth, making him grunt.

"No, Emmett called me. We talked about you."

I palmed my prick as I staggered towards the couch, pushed by Edward. "What did you talk about?"

"What we would like to do to you." He gently turned me around. "So, have you made up your mind?"

I nodded, my eyes shying away from his. "Sent him a message ten minutes ago." I had simply texted him:_ 'Em, wanna kiss you and what you said after.'_

Blushing hotly, I recalled my conversation with Emmett on the plane. I wanted to take a photo of my burgeoning shaft to send it to him, but Jane was around.

When he read my thoughts, Edward growled, "Since I'm here and Emmett's not, I get to fuck you first."

Edward sat on the couch and opened his legs. I groaned at the sight of his twitching shaft and the mushroom head, wet with precome. My hole fluttered in anticipation.

"Come sit…"

His cock slapping against his pale abs, he grabbed the lube and opened it to coat his length until it glistened. I stepped towards him and he beckoned me with his slick hand.

".. on my fingers."

My knees trembling with lust, I spread my legs and crouched above his lap. He grabbed my waist with one hand, the other snaking below my balls. I groaned when his thumb grazed my rim teasingly.

Slowly, Edward worked first one finger and then another, scissoring them to spread the lube.

"I love your whimpering, Jacob. It's music to my ears."

When I clenched around him he grunted and jabbed his fingers deeper. I moaned at the stretch after he added another and I rolled my hips, greedily taking all he had to offer. I loved making him forget all those pretty words while he fucked me. Made him seem more human and real. Course he was; he was my Edward.

He grabbed my inner thighs and held me up while I leaned forward to put my hands on his shoulders. Then he lowered my body until his blunt cockhead touched my wet entrance. My thighs quivering, I pushed down until the thick glans breached me completely.

The first stretch hurt because it had been a while since he had fucked me. I grimaced in pain.

"You're so tight and hot!" Edward stopped, his cock throbbing inside me while his hand harshly tweaked my nipple.

The pain passed soon, though, and I shimmied my hips, enjoying his shaft rubbing against my walls. It made me hungry to have all of him, and I glanced down at my lap, watching my dark prick bobbing up and down between us.

Edward glanced up at me with eyes darkened with lust; his nostrils flaring, he grunted, "Your smell's intoxicating."

When he bottomed out, I squirmed at the feeling of his pubic hairs scratching my ass. I closed my thighs around Edward's abs and squirmed because with the new angle his thick shaft rubbed my prostate, which made me leak more.

He reached up to lick the sweat off my chest while I carded my fingers through his hair. I whimpered when he bit my nipple, and then licked a path across my chest. The hot Italian weather made me sweat, so my skin was covered with a shimmer of sweat. The gasoline smell wafting down from the window mixed well with the musky scent of the vamp as he fucked me.

Edward made me forget everything.

"So tight, Jake!" He glanced at the place where we were joined. "You look so hot spread around my cock."

Edward grabbed my waist, staring intently at my face. Leaning forward to loop my arms behind the nape of his neck, I started to ride him hard, bouncing up and down on his lap.

I was so caught up in the sex that I hardly noticed the sounds blaring from the loudspeakers. The thick cock spearing me held all my attention, so I didn't notice another man entering the room until I felt his cold touch on my back.

"What the hell?" I yelled, twisting my torso while Edward thrust up his hips, impaling me completely.

"I'd like to taste your sweet hole, Jake," Emmett growled as he kissed my neck.

The surprise startled me and I squeezed hard around Edward. The feeling was too much for him. He came, and the sensation of his cold seed bathing my insides made me squirm on his lap. Emmett's fingers grazed my hips, and then I felt his ghostly caress on my neglected cock. It drove me wild and I moved faster, seeking my relief.

I leaned down to kiss Edward, the squelchy sound of his come dripping from my entrance driving me crazy. My hips bucked out of control as I felt my climax approaching but Edward gripped my prick, his cold fingers encircling me and stopping my orgasm.

I glared at him. "What the hell?"

Cold hands gripped my shoulder, and then Emmett cupped my cheek and turned my face, his lips touching the corner of my mouth. I opened for him and then I felt his tongue fucking my mouth while Edward slipped from me, my ass clenching hungrily for the release that wouldn't come.

"You remember my promise, wolf?" Emmett said huskily.

I nodded, unbelievable horny at the thought that Emmett had seen me riding Edward's cock.

Between them, Edward and Emmett manhandled me, lifting me up the couch until I was turned around and could wrap my legs around Emmett's bare waist. Frankly, I was glad he was naked because I felt so needy, I had to come as fast as possible. There would be time to admire his body later.

I shuddered at the hunger in Emmett's gaze, his eyes black as night while his hand cradled my backside, his cock aligned against the crease of my ass. He snaked his hand beneath my twitching prick to grab the arousal I hadn't even seen yet. His fingers rubbed against my sensitive, swollen rim and I groaned.

"Jacob, I don't wanna hurt you. Are you sure you can take this?" he said.

"Fuck him," Edward said. I leaned back on Edward's chest, held aloft between the two vamps.

"Fuck me," I said in a raw, guttural voice I hardly recognized as my own.

"Fine. Get ready for the ride of your life, wolf." Emmett muttered between clenched teeth, and then he grabbed my hips with his huge hand and pushed me down on his prick. It slipped inside easily, aided by Edward's come. It felt huge as Emmett worked his way inside, stretching me.

Whimpering, I hooked my hands behind his neck and curled around him, my swollen prick trapped between our abs as he thrust up into my channel.

Emmett licked a swath up my sweaty neck, "You're wet inside and out, sweet Jacob."

I felt Edward's fingers on my shoulder, light as a feather. His hand slid down to my buttocks, his thumb pushing into my crack as Emmett grabbed my left thigh and moved it up to get deeper.

"He's tight, Em." Edward's fingers grazed my stretched rim which fluttered around Emmett's girth.

"Yep," Emmett grunted and lifted my body. I clenched around him at the moment his thick glans stretched my entrance on its way out.

"Swallow my cock, sexy Jacob!" He grabbed my buttocks and bounced me up and down on his huge prick.

I groaned when he lifted my thigh so it touched his flanks and lowered my other leg to the floor. The position allowed deeper penetration so his cock rubbed constantly against my prostate.

Emmett grunted as he fucked me hard. My sweaty abs rubbing against his skin made squishy sounds that drove me crazy. Cradled between my vamps, I reclined on Edward's chest, twisting my arm to reach around his neck and caress the hairs on his nape.

It felt good to be trapped between marble bodies while Emmett stretched my walls around his prick. I whined low in my throat and then bit my lip, hardly aware of anything but them.

Emmett thrust into me again and again, his hips moving furiously. I was glad Edward stretched me first.

Edward's hand grazed my inner thigh, wet with the precome leaking from my prick.

I yelled hoarsely, which drove the two vamps to new heights. Emmett jabbed my insides hard and fast, and I clenched around his cock when Edward rubbed my puffy rim with his thumb. Grunting between them, I felt Edward fist my slick cock, and then he cupped my chin and kissed me, his tongue entwining with mine. The onslaught of sensations all over my body was too much. I came with a shout, coating his fingers and Emmett's abs.

"My god, wolf!" Emmett panted, undone by my fluttering walls around him. He climaxed, fucking his hips into me one last time.

"Gimme that," said Emmett while he grabbed Edward's sticky fingers. He licked them clean and then he nuzzled my cheek, finally kissing me. My come felt cold and strange, mixed with his saliva.

The two lifted my tired body and gently laid me on the bed. Taking deep breaths, I panted harshly and saw stars flitter in and out of my vision. I felt a cool, damp cloth rubbing my forehead and Edward's voice, filled with concern. "Are you fine, Jake?"

I nodded weakly, the world swimming into focus around my two vamps. "Nothing I can't take, guys."

Yawning in the aftermath of the best orgasm I'd ever had, I unconsciously spread my arms and legs. In the sudden silence, I looked up and noticed the hungry gaze of the two vamps who stared at my used ass, obviously proud of themselves. I shook my head, fully expecting them to exchange high-fives, the bastards.

"You're gaping, Jake." Emmet smirked. "Gonna be difficult to sit down with the workout your tight hole got."

Blushing, I closed my thighs while Edward moved so fast he was just a blur. A second later, he cuddled me from behind, using a towel to wipe the come off me.

Meanwhile, Emmet laid his body lengthwise on the bed. "Satisfied, Jake?"

I bit back a moan at the sight of Emmett laid bare. He was like the marble statue by Michelangelo I'd seen on the web, all sinewy muscle. His soft cock nestled between his pubes, a thing of beauty. It had felt huge but he was the same size I was.

Emmett turned to fish the remote control out of the drawer of the night table, and my breath hitched at the sight of his ass. It was meaty and supple. Made me want to taste him, to plunder his strong body.

"Sure, man." I didn't say anything more, my mind hazy with lust.

Edward caressed my back. "Jacob is worried about Bella."

Emmett groaned, and so did I. It was just like Edward to spoil the mood with this mention of the bitch.

"The spoiled princess?" Emmett growled while he fiddled with the buttons of the remote control.

"Jake thinks her powers made him fall for us, and that he's just the wrench in the machine."

I hit Edward's shoulder hard, making him wince. "Stop reading my mind!"

"Jacob, you're being silly," Emmett said in a serious tone. "What we just did is… just us having fun. Lemme tell you that no prissy power of that woman could compel me!"

I yawned, nestled between their cold bodies. "'kay."

In the Volterra night, they were my shield from the world and the heat. I gazed at him. "Good point, Em. By the way, next time it's your turn."

He scoffed, "Sorry, pup. I don't bottom."

My mind was distracted. Despite his words, I was going to have my way with that enticing ass. I scowled at Emmett while I kissed Edward's palm and then craned my neck to look at Edward. His eyes as golden as the Toscana fields I'd glimpsed outside the city, he nibbled on my lips.

He winked at me and smirked slightly, cocking his head at Emmett, who still fiddled with the remote, oblivious of our silent plotting.

Emmett finally pushed a button and a melody blared out of the loudspeakers. Turning to look at me with a slight frown, he said, "This isn't anything sweet or romantic like the song you guys have, but I'm reminded of my feelings for you when I listen to it."

It was the same song which had startled me before. The melody had a driving bass that made me think of battles won and fights to come; it had a pounding rhythm which enticed me to dance. It certainly reflected Emmett, and Edward too - perhaps even me.

"Sure, sure." I muttered, squirming on the bed to soothe my aching backside.

I felt oddly shy. After our lovemaking, I felt like exchanging words of love. I knew Edward liked to hear them but I was unsure about Emmett. I was still grappling my way around him and this brought to my mind Marcus' strange words about my journey. I wanted to think about it but I was dead tired. I yawned again.

I fell asleep cradled between cold bodies, lulled by the soft sounds coming from the stereo and the lingering scent of our lust. All was well in the small nest we had made.

But during the night, an explosion rocked Volterra.

* * *

tbc


	8. Jacob's choice

_**Warnings:** NC-17, graphic sex, kink, Bella!bashing, drama_

* * *

The hot water cascading down my back felt soothing against my aching flesh. I was sticky all over after the rough pounding and I wanted to clean up, so I told the vamps I'd take a shower. Emmett had nodded and slapped my rump while Edward gazed hungrily at me.

I held the nozzle against my thigh as my other hand slid down my buttocks to reach my slackened hole. It ached gently from the fucking. As I swirled my thumb across the swollen flesh, I thought about their thick cocks inside me, one after the other.

Glancing down at my wet prick which stood at attention, I sighed gustily and fisted my shaft, uncovering the glans which gleamed an angry purple in the bright bathroom light. Hearing the sharp sounds of a motorbike below, I glanced at the small window and padded towards it. I fumbled with the catch for a few seconds and finally freed it; the tiles felt cold against my wet chest as I pushed against the wall to look at the city. The roofs were wide and pointy like canopies of oaks back home. The nozzle slid out of my fingers and it fell against the floor with a soft thump as I looked up at the clear night sky, my gaze drawn irresistibly to the crescent moon.

I recalled how it looked the night I danced with Edward and he appeared to be carved out of moonlight. Sighing, I laid down my cheek upon the windowsill as I looked at the inconstant moon which looked the same as always, even so far from home.

She hadn't changed but I had. No longer was I the lonely boy who pined after Bella, but a man who had lain with two vampires.

I turned to stick the nozzle in its hook and stepped towards the glass door to grab the thick towel, wrapping it around my waist. After sliding the door open, I glanced at the mirror and saw the faint hickeys adorning my neck. I rubbed my neck, glaring at my reflection and the way it proclaimed I was theirs. There was no way I could mar their perfect skin like they had done to me, but maybe I'd be able to lay my mark on them some way. The wolf demanded this.

Hearing the sounds of the bed squeaking, I glanced at the door. I imagined Edward and Emmett were busy jerking off and I smirked in satisfaction. That was good, just as long as they didn't expect me to ride their laps again.

I wasn't a tireless sex god.

Closing the door with a soft sound, the moans coming from the bed caught my attention and I stared at the bed. The sight held me spellbound and made my arousal leak. Framed by the earthy colors of the room and the bright blue sheets, Edward and Emmett were locked in a heated embrace as they made love. Miles of pale limbs entwined as they writhed like marble statues come alive.

My nostrils flared at the scent of their coupling; it wasn't sweaty but musky with precome, tinged with the herbal scent of the lube. Emmett grunted while he fucked Edward into the mattress and I tugged my prick through the towel; glancing down, I noticed the wet patch spreading on my lap.

I padded on the carpet, soft under my bare feet like forest loam. Breathing harshly as my heart beat rapidly against my chest, I yanked my towel to free my confined prick. My mouth watered at the sight of Edward spread wide around the thick cock, cradling Emmett between his pale thighs. Emmett flexed his ass, his cock sliding smoothly into Edward's puffy, stretched hole to the squelching sound of lube and precome. I groaned in sympathy at Edward's whimpers; I knew what it felt to be pounded relentlessly like my insides were made of soft butter.

The wolf growled in anger at seeing his mate being mounted by another, but the man wanted so much to turn them around, spread further Edward's legs and sink in alongside Emmett. Splaying my hand on my chest, I willed my heart to slow down and think. Glancing down, I saw a clear drop of precome slide from the slit and it was obvious that my throbbing prick didn't care about anything.

Emmett thrust fast, grunting as his backside moved up and down. He was like a bear mating, and I licked my lips at the sight of his perfect, dimpled ass. He nudged Edward's legs aside and for a moment I glimpsed his hole, winking at me.

I didn't know what to do. My wolf wanted to claim and mark one after the other, but I wanted to make sweet love to them. I stalked towards them, not recognizing the harsh grunts escaping my lips. I cupped my fingers around my cockhead, squeezing it gently and then I lifted my palm to my mouth to taste the salty precome, moaning when Edward's greedy ring pulsed around the shaft on its way out.

I climbed on the bed, wobbling under me, and scooted forward on my knees, tilting my neck to glance at Edward's rim swallowing the gleaming shaft while the slurping sounds of their fucking drove me crazy. Edward opened wide his thighs, egging me on.

Emmett grunted a greeting I didn't quite catch as I bent my body, leaning down to grab the muscled thighs which I spread to get access to his hole.

"What the hell, pup?" yelled Emmett.

I wanted to fuck him, but since he didn't bottom, I had to do something to warm him up to the idea. I kneaded his buttocks and held them apart with my thumbs as Emmett squirmed, trying to get away. Edward, though, wrapped his arms and legs tightly around him, immobilizing him as he bucked up his hips and impaled himself on his dick.

"Go on," said Edward between groans.

I smirked wickedly at my bear, trapped between his prey who had become the hunters. I lowered my head to taste the center of him. My tongue licked the crease of his buttocks and I blew softly against his wet skin.

"Jacob, that's… dirty," groaned Emmett, thrashing weakly as Edward gripped him even tighter.

"You taste good, Em," I said hoarsely.

I licked a path down to his entrance, my thumb rubbing against the sensitive skin before spreading him to my hungry gaze. I lapped at his entrance which quivered under my tongue. Emmett bellowed his arousal and I needed no more prompting.

I swirled my tongue around the ring and speared one finger, and then another inside him, jabbing his insides, working him open for my greedy tongue. I carefully nibbled on the lips until the rim puffed out, fluttering hungrily against my tongue. Emmett paused in his fucking and then jerked his hips back and forth, a heartfelt groan filling the room as he rode my face in earnest. I nipped his ring lightly, making a stab with my tongue and spearing it inside, laving the walls as my fingers prodded his channel, searching for his prostate. I knew I had found it when he started rabbit-fucking Edward.

I stopped to growl, "Nope, man!"

Emmet moaned as he canted up his hips, presenting his ass for my attention while I held his hamstrings so strongly that he couldn't fuck Edward as harshly as before. Wanted him to come when I was inside him. He trashed around a bit, but between me and Edward, wrapped like a limpet around the smooth bear, we held him captive.

My tongue lapped some more around his entrance while thin strands of saliva fell down to his balls and onto Edward's clenching hole.

Emmett was sopping wet, ready to be fucked, but I had to make sure he wanted it.

Fisting my throbbing cock to spread my juices over the shaft, I tilted up my chin and whispered against the soft mounds while my thumbs rubbed circles on his ass.

"You want me to fuck you, Em?"

"God, yes! Your tongue, pup!" he said in a strangled voice. "Fuck me!"

Emmet groaned, and his big body shivered in front of me, his knees grabbing purchase on the sheets as he spread his legs and tilted up his hips, his cock pistoning slowly in and out of Edward. My fingers caressed his slick shaft and my thumb rubbed Edward's stuffed entrance, which quivered as it valiantly tried to absorb the cock poking his walls.

"Edward likes it rough," I said in a throaty voice, my prick twitching at the remembrance of Edward moaning under me, bucking up his hips as he fucked himself on my rod.

"Roll your hips when you're completely inside." I held his hips when he was sunk in to the root and swayed them just so. "He loves it!"

"Jake, fuck us." Edward's hoarse voice made me groan. I glanced at my lap and scooted back a bit, my cock leaving a wet trail on Emmett's huge thigh.

"Damn you, pup, fuck me!" growled Emmet, turning his head to pierce me with golden eyes.

I frowned at them as I stood up.

Emmett raised his hips, slipping out of Edward whose gaping entrance clenched hungrily.

"Jacob, move!" Edward said with a tinge of desperation.

"You're both twitching for it." I stepped towards them, holding my shaft between my index and thumb.

"You want me to…" I poked Emmett's saliva-slicked hole with my blunt cockhead.

"God," Emmett sobbed as his rim fluttered against my glans, his voice so hoarse it sounded like a bear grunting.

"… fuck you." I sheathed myself to the hilt in a swift motion until my pubes brushed against his cold ass. He squeezed around me; it was exquisite and painful too, just like a cold velvet vise.

I withdrew until just the head remained embedded in him and then jerked my hips forwards, the movement jiggling Em's body as he fucked into Edward; if the long, drawn-out whimper coming from the headboard was anything to go by.

Hunching my shoulders, I laid my hands on the sheets, splaying them to grab purchase before spearing Emmett on my prick. I thrust in and out in a mad rhythm, my cock rubbing his spot over and over until he writhed under me.

"Like it, Em?" I rubbed his back and leaned my head to lick a swath up his neck. Emmett turned his face and I nibbled on his lips, letting him enjoy the taste of himself.

Rubbing his back, I impaled him while his walls massaged my shaft. Fucking him in random thrusts, I found the place that made him moan. The sound followed moments later by Edward whimpering as Emmett fucked him in turn.

I climbed over the two of them like a wolf rutting his mate in heat. This caused me to find the perfect angle, though, because Emmett yelled, "Fuck, like that!"

Edward groaned. "You're killing me!"

"What?" I fucked my hips into Emmett.

"Your thoughts!"

"Gonna fill you up, Ed," Emmett said as I watched a drop of my sweat fall on his pale back. He squeezed around me so tight it made my shaft ache.

I felt wetness dripping down my inner thighs which told me Edward had come. Snaking my hand carefully downward, I squeezed gently Emmett's balls on my way towards Edward's quivering hole, I swiped my thumb around the puffy rim. Didn't have time to do more because Emmett's huge paw yanked my head by the hair. He pulled me forcefully towards him and kissed me, fucking his tongue into me as I swayed my hips, overcome by the clenching muscles around me.

I came, my shout captured by Emmett's mouth. The taste of that snarky mouth was pure Emmett, Edward and me, and it was worth the dull pain in my scalp.

Panting harshly, I looped my arms around Emmett broad chest and heaved up his body with a mighty lurch while my hand lingered on the ridges of his abs. I so wanted to pour maple syrup all over his abdomen and lick it off him!

"God," groaned Edward when he read my thoughts. Emmett squirmed on my lap, dragging Edward with him. I looked down at the floor when I heard an ominous creaking sound. The bed sagged under us, until it finally splintered and we fell a few inches, the movement jarring my softening cock. I could have sworn the ground trembled below as I heard a booming sound in the distance.

My legs slid down to the floor with a painful thud. A sharp pain shot up through my left knee and I glanced down, noticing a splinter peeking out from the curve of my knee.

"What was that?" I said thickly.

Lifting himself from Emmett's lap, Edward lurched towards the bed, his nostrils flaring. I growled at the come dribbling down his thighs.

"People are in a panic, there was an explosion," Edward said.

Groaning, Emmett clenched around me one last time, milking my cock. His hand snaked towards me as he patted my head.

"You guys are gonna kill me," Emmett said.

Em's hand looped behind the nape of my neck and he pulled me forward. He kissed the crease of my mouth, and then his tongue thrust inside in sharp, wild jabs, licking my teeth and palate.

He broke the contact, muttering, "Get out, Jake; your smell!"

"What the hell?" I shook my head. Was he going to mention the dog scent the pixie always prattled about?

"He means your blood, Jacob." Edward slumped on the sagging bed, his torso wiggling as the bed lurched some more and finally settled on the floor. "The scent of it is driving us mad with want."

Damn, the blood! I gazed down at the rivulet of blood falling through my ankle, and yanked the silk sheets so violently a strip tore off. Used it to hastily wipe the stain off the floor and then I stood up, not without ruffling Emmett's hair and whispering hoarsely, "I… thank you."

I dashed to the bathroom to take a bath and wash off the blood, trusting my abilities to heal the cut in no time. I wanted to bang my head against the wall, though.

What the hell was I thinking? I had to tell Emmett what the act had meant to me. Didn't have it in me to fuck him and just leave him like that. I had to take his feelings into account because I didn't want to act like Bella, but I chickened out at the end.

* * *

oOoOo

"So that explosion was a terrorist bomb?" I pointed at the flat monitor on the stucco wall.

Edward nodded. "Italian TV says it was a terrorist plot."

I glanced at the screen, noting that the anchorman wore a neat suit that framed broad shoulders. He had dimpled cheeks like Emmett, but the tousled hair and chiseled face bore a strong resemblance to Edward.

"Where did it explode?" Emmett leaned back on the couch, spreading his arms to wrap his hands around the nape of his neck. I licked my lips at the sight of the bulging biceps.

"Jacob, pay attention." Edward said with a smirk.

I blushed, cradling the bottle of mineral water between my palms. "Sorry guys, got carried away."

"Don't listen to Ed, Jacob." Emmett leaned forward to pat my arm. "And please, do get carried away. Anyway, the man said the bomb exploded near San Paolo church."

I nodded absently, trying not to think about what that name reminded me of. Marcus had implied my own thoughts could betray me, and that vamp seemed to know what he was talking about.

Glancing at the screen, I saw the mug shot of a guy with a scruffy beard. I sat up on the couch while Emmett said in amazement, "What do you know? That's the guy…"

"At the café." I glared at the TV. "He was the damned cashier that flirted with you!"

"Can't help it if people fall for my charm, wolf." Emmett said, turning towards me and winking lewdly.

I slouched on the chair and heaved a deep sigh. "The powers of the bitch reach even here!"

"You think Bella caused this?" Edward lifted his eyebrows.

"Sure, what other explanation is there?" Emmett said, and nodded at us.

"Have there been explosions around here?" I pointed at the TV with the bottle.

"No, they said it was the first." Edward's shoulders drooped a bit.

"That goddamned Bella is powerful!" I muttered through gritted teeth. It made me so angry the way the scrawny bitch menaced my vamps!

I lost it at that moment. I stood up and walked up to the flat screen to punch it, the glass and metal tinkling down to the floor.

Realizing that my blood would disturb the vamps, I lifted my hand, soaked with blood, and dashed to the bathroom where I wrapped a towel around it.

I called out towards the living room, "Am sorry, guys! Really sorry!"

Grabbing Edward's bathrobe, I twisted it around my hand in a crude bandage as I walked back to the room.

Emmett whistled and turned to wink at Edward. "We got us a real bronco, Edward."

Shrugging at Emmett's strangely arousing compliment, I lifted my closed fist. "The odor bothers you?"

Emmett's eyes gleamed darkly as his gaze swept from my head to my toes, making me feel like a delicacy in the pastry store on the corner whose name made me think of Leah. "Not as much as you getting hurt, Jake."

I walked towards the minibar and grabbed a can of soda. "Should've thought about the blood, guys. Didn't think about consequences, just like Bella when she punched me."

I made my way back to the couch and plopped down. Taking a sip, I glared at Edward. "You were very mad at me."

"You hurt my Singer, Jacob." He shrugged guiltily. "I was still under her thrall."

Lowering the cold can, I pressed it lightly against my bicep while I nodded my acceptance of his apology. "I understand what you felt, Edward. I went berserk when Paul phased and threatened her."

Emmett stood up and glared down at us. "You two were deluded fools, pining for that bitch. Paul should've snapped her bony ass in half."

"It didn't hurt Bella when she punched Paul in the face, though," I said between sips.

"Guys, can you ever stop talking about her?" Emmett muttered angrily.

"Wait a moment, Emmett." Edward raised his hand, pointing at me. "You said Bella punched Paul?"

"Yep, she did. Paul got angry and phased. I ran towards Bella to protect her. Had a fight with Paul over her."

"That damned troublemaker!" growled Emmett.

"Yet your thoughts tell me nothing happened to Bella when she hit Paul," Edward said thoughtfully.

"Sure, so what?"

"Wait, Jake," Emmett said, holding up his hand. "Bella punches your friend and nothing happens, but then the spoiled princess hits you and breaks her bony wrist?" He exchanged a glance with Edward and leaned towards me, squeezing my shoulder gently. "You don't see nothing strange, wolf?"

I sat up straight and put the can on the table. "It is strange, come to think of it."

"We may have just found the way to stop Bella," Edward said wonderingly.

My stomach grumbled, making a sound similar to the bed before it went kaput. Emmett grabbed me by the biceps and pulled me up, taking care that my makeshift bandage wasn't dislodged. I leaned into him while Edward frowned at us.

"Our wolf needs a hearty meal, Ed," Emmett said.

* * *

oOoOo

"Aro thinks Bella's power causes the world to bend to her will," Edward said.

I twisted the stem of the fork to wrap neatly the spaghetti. The dish was nearly empty and it was the third helping. After all, I needed the energy to replenish my body after our lovemaking. I breathed in the spicy scent, mixed with garlic and cheese. It was delicious.

"And?" I finally said, lifting my eyebrow at him.

"Bear with me," said Edward.

Emmett rolled his eyes; crossing his arms, he muttered under his breath, "Great, more talk about Bella!"

Edward shrugged. "At the quantum level, it's all probability, I think. Bella twists it so it favors her. Hence that bearded guy in reality was planning to explode the bomb later, but Bella's power reached out to make it more probable he would fiddle with the explosive now. Thankfully it went off at night, so no one was hurt."

I placed the fork on the plate. "Man, that power is awesome! I could use it to win the lottery."

"Wouldn't work that way," Emmett said, scrunching up his eyebrows. "Judging from how your dear Bella's power acts, Jake, you wouldn't even have to buy a lottery ticket! The guy who won the lottery would fall for you and give you everything you wanted!"

Edward sighed in exasperation. "Both of you are missing the point. If her power is so fearsome, why didn't the bomb explode when you two were at the café?"

I lifted my eyebrow at Emmett. So far, the big guy had come up with interesting thoughts.

He shrugged his broad shoulders, reclining against the thick woolen cloak draped over the chair. "Really have no idea, Edward."

"What were you doing there?"

Emmett grinned wolfishly at me. "Jake was being his usual cute, sexy self. To tell the truth, we were flirting like teenagers."

I blushed and then toed off my loafer, brushing his thigh with the sole of my foot.

"Guys," said Edward exasperatedly. "Get back on track."

"Oh, sorry," I said, breaking off the contact.

"Spoilsport," said Emmett grumpily, frowning at Edward. He glanced at his watch and then stood up.

"Gotta go, I'm meeting with someone who can help us." Draping the cloak over his shoulders, Emmett smirked at us. "I'll leave you two engrossed in your usual, and very annoying, Bella madness."

I glared at him as he glided out of the restaurant.

* * *

oOoOo

"So what are your conclusions, then," I said after Emmett left.

"It's only a surmise, but it holds together." Edward shrugged. "Put it simply, our advantage consists of you and your phasing. When you do that, you break probability laws, so I would conclude that your very nature is chaotic. It defies probability."

He grinned fondly at me, his hand snaking beneath the tablecloth to squeeze my knee. In between the attentions of Emmett and Edward, I felt like a cornered mouse sometimes. I loved it.

"You think so?" I arched my eyebrow, needing a further explanation.

Edward leaned back on the chair, gazing out of the window at the sunny street. "Think about it, Jacob. I believe every one of us defies probability with our powers; Alice, Emmett, you and me."

"You think so?"

He said wistfully, "In fact, I am sure every mortal does it in some measure. Yet Bella possesses some kind of lucky gene that grants her this ability in spades."

"And?" I brushed my hand against his tousled hair, snorting at the way the patron next to our table bunched up his newspaper.

"Your ability is different. There's this passion inside you that wants out and shapes you into who you are." He grinned fondly at me. "I sensed this from the first moment I met you. It's one of the reasons why I was so jealous of you. I guess Bella twisted the odds to obfuscate us and pull us apart so this attraction would remain unexplored."

"It worked," I said sadly.

"Yet she broke her hand when she hit you." Edward said, ticking off on his fingers. "And the bomb didn't go off when you were there, and also…"

"What?"

"In the tent, you gave me a chance. You were friendly, I responded and so the dam that kept us apart broke. We started on the road that has led us here."

"My ability is like a shield, then." I said, gazing into his amber eyes.

"No, I believe it is always present, flaring up when you are emotional, though."

"That's good, I guess."

Edward reached his hand to caress my neck and I nudged the chair closer. He broke the contact too soon, though. He reclined on the chair, staring at the table with a sad expression. "I believe she chose me because her power demanded completion. Bella is not as free as she thinks."

"What do you mean?" I carded my fingers through his hair. _'You are worthy of love, you know.'_

"Her power to mold reality complements nicely my own," he whispered sadly. "It's as simple as that, and now she's teamed up with Alice, who has an even greater ability that will help her along."

"But if she chose you and her power is so awesome… how come you broke off the wedding?" I said, pointing out the obvious flaw in his reasoning.

"You decided to come back."

"Wait." I held up my hand. "Bella can't anticipate my moves because of the probability stuff you said, so when I decided to return to see your wedding…"

"You changed the game, Jake. Your single decision cascaded downwards so fast, changing her loaded-dice outcome, that you aborted her greedy grasp. You may have some immunity against her," he concluded.

I nodded slowly. "Like I have with the pixie, who can't see me."

"Exactly, you elude Alice's keen visions."

I nodded slowly, that was exactly what I was counting on. If the pixie couldn't see me and she was working with Bella, I would exploit that weakness.

Edward gazed to the door and stood up. "Jacob, I have to go. There's something I have to check."

"Want me to go with you?" I said, standing up.

"No, stay here." Edward brushed his hair with his fingers. "Or go back to the hotel."

"Do you want me to …?"

He lifted up his hand. "No, don't tell me your plan. Be safe."

On his way out, he whispered softly, "I love you, Jacob."

_'So do I.'_

* * *

oOoOo

I strolled randomly through Volterra, without really watching where I was going. When I passed beneath the arch Marcus had pointed to me, I gazed up and imagined the despair that woman must have felt centuries ago as she plunged to her death, overcome with grief at the loss of her family. Recalling that even indestructible vampires could be killed, it seemed to me that the only eternal constant was grief.

This led me to visualize Bella's wan face after Edward left her, and I sympathized with her pain at losing Edward during the wedding. But then I recalled what happened after I helped her mend her heart, how she had played with me and kept me on a limb.

I turned around at the soft thudding steps of the Volturi guard behind me. It was the same one from before, Keiros or something. I felt a pang of pity when I remembered what Marcus told me; the guy had suffered from unrequited love for centuries, which was even worse than me!

Making up my mind, I walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder.

He didn't look as hateful as before. Maybe Aro had given him a good talking to before he reassigned him to guard me. There was a haunted look in his face, though, and I could certainly empathize with that.

"What…?" he started to say.

I grabbed his neck and pulled him towards me, kissing him forcefully on the lips.

I backed away a few steps. Blushing like hell, I managed to mumble, "Don't pine, man. It isn't worth it!"

Then I stuck my hands in my pockets and dashed away, feeling heat spreading on my face. Maybe the vamp was thinking I was really a cock slut or whatever; it didn't matter because there was something in the moment that called for compassion, and I just had to do it.

A half hour later, I passed the church of San Paolo and decided I had gone far enough. It was time to return to the hotel and wait for my vamps. Hoped they had fished out the clues they were searching for because I didn't want to face any more of the strange coincidences.

The hair on the nape of my neck rose when I recognized the sickly sweet scent I knew well. It was Bella!

"Hello, dog." She was behind me and I whirled around, ready to shift and attack her.

"How did you find us?"

"The Volturi may work with you, but they don't have your allegiance; therefore, Alice can see them as they discuss you and your strange ways," Bella said, her beady red eyes contrasting sharply with the black, stylish cloak which made her look like a supermodel.

"Just wait till…"

"Emmett won't save you this time, Jacob!" The pasty-faced bitch sneered at me. "Nor will Edward rush to rescue you."

"I can save myself," I growled. "I will…"

"You will do nothing!" She cocked her hips, the picture of chic undead on the cobbled street of Volterra. "You will have to choose, though, between Edward and Emmett."

"What?"

Many dark shapes glided through the alley towards us, holding Emmett captive. His clothes were so torn they hung by a thread, the sun striking sparks off his perfect torso. In despair, I glanced towards the other side where I saw even more leeches approaching, Edward between them. Bella had caught the two and was taunting me!

"Since you care so much for these traitors, you have to choose one of them," said the evil vamp in a gloating voice. "We will kill the other. I won't even have to kill you, for I know you very well and I'm sure the choice you make will destroy you, corroding you from inside."

It had come to this decision Bella forced on me, thinking I could ever choose between them.

Yet Bella, for all her smugness, had made no mention of the most important thing.

I took at a glance the lack of normal people. Bella's powers at work, I guessed; probably an accident somewhere kept them occupied so she could strut around.

I turned towards the church and looked at Emmett, who was squirming among the many leeches that prevented his escape.

"Take care, big guy." I lifted up my hand towards him, spreading my fingers in a gesture of farewell, and went on, my voice breaking at the end, "I love you, Emmett."

Taking a deep breath, I said loudly a few choice endearments in Quileute.

Emmett stared at me for a moment; he must have seen something in my face because he mumbled, "Sweet Jacob… brave Jacob." His handsome face crumpled up in despair and his body sagged, so his captors had to hold him upright.

I glanced at Edward, who was writhing and twisting to get free.

"Jacob, don't!" he shouted desperately. "Please, Jake, don't do that!"

I stared at him, the indomitable vamp I fell in love with, wanting to hold the image in my mind to give me the strength to do what I had to do._ 'I love you, Edward. Remember our moonlit dance, forever.'_

Closing his eyes, Edward moaned brokenly,

"Choose between your two bones, dog!" Bella said harshly.

I had had enough of this woman! Who did she think she was talking to?

I whirled around to face Bella, and spat at her.

She just stared dumbly at me, not believing I had the guts to do that.

"I will snap your neck, you pushy, obnoxious, moronic DOG!" shrieked Bella.

"You won't talk to me like that, Bells. I'm Ephraim's…" I paused and shook my head. "Fuck that shit! I'm Jacob Black and that's enough; and you're nothing but a fucking whore, Bella - that's all you'll ever be, a forever whore."

"How dare YOU?"

"Hell's Bells," I snarled, crouching. "That's exactly where you will be, BITCH!"

Having made the only choice my heart could bear, I launched myself towards Bella and phased in midair, and prepared to face death.

* * *

tbc


	9. The wolf trap

_**Warnings:** Drama, violence, gore, character death (not E/J/E)_

* * *

Hurtling through the air, I had time enough to squint at the waning sun and think about Em and Edward. Hoped they would make it through the end of the day.

Skated along the fine edge between passion and reason, just as I had been doing since we arrived in Tuscany. Edward mentioned I was able to counteract Bella's powers because I was a shifter. I knew differently; it was my heart that did the trick, the passion that bubbled up inside me every time I gazed at Edward's chiseled profile or Emmett's winsome smile.

My heart throbbed painfully the day I dared kiss Bella's pretty lips, a gesture born out of desperation at her drifting away from me and choosing Edward. Knowing I was losing both of them, I took the chance and failed miserably. I banked my anger at seeing her face twist in such an ugly grimace, my reaction held barely in check by love, and then her hand struck my face.

The wolf lurked beneath my skin, growling in my head when Bella slapped me, wanting to snap at the silly human who dared strike the rightful Alpha.

In just the same way, the wolf had filled my veins with hot desire when Emmett fucked me so nicely, stretching and rubbing my insides - just like I rejoiced at the feeling of him squeezing around me when I sheathed myself in his tight body.

The wolf knew lust when I let him have his way which mirrored my own desires. In doing so, deep in my bones I found release from Bella's greedy clutches. The one thing she had never grasped was the unforgiving way of the wolves and woods that surrounded her; she cared not one whit about the urge to survive and take care of herself. Bella had lain unprotected in the woods after Edward left her, unmindful of the predators.

It shouldn't amaze me because if the world cottoned to her will, Bella surely expected the wilderness to comply with her every whim and leave her unmolested in the middle of the forest.

I hadn't told my lovers the shameful truth: before Bella slapped me, I had struggled with my wolf and tried to rein him in. The wolf resented Bella's easy dismissal and wanted revenge but I managed to hold him back. Couldn't bear the thought of transforming and doing to Bella what Sam had done to Emily. That was my greatest fear and the reason I always tried to behave so courteously towards the ungrateful bitch.

My talk with Edward and Emmett told me that the interplay between me and my wolf, that moment when I almost shifted but managed to remain human by the slimmest margin, had thrown off that ability of hers to mold the world.

Bella's powers were ineffective around the fine edge where my wolf and I blended, and that gave me the key to her undoing.

Lunging towards her, I handed the reins to the wolf, my shelter against the selfishness she embodied. I let the wolf act freely, deciding to nudge him only if I had to. I meshed with my supernatural part to escape the relentless pull of the physical world which had always been Bella's to command.

So I pounced on the shallow woman, twisting in midair to dodge her cold fist. Snarling, my jaws closed around her cold shoulder, the razor-sharp teeth ripping into her expensive cloak and sinking into her skin. There was a satisfying cracking sound, and Bella yelled as her ugly face pulled the stupid expression I knew so well.

The wolf wanted to hang on for dear life and sink his jaws farther to rip her unbeating heart out of the chest that knew no warmth even when she was human. I didn't let him, though, and with a vicious sideways jerk of my hips, my forelegs struck her abdomen, the movement pushing me back just in time to evade the fist directed at my flanks - the blow would have broken my ribs. Managed to escape her arms which were closing around my body, ready to squeeze me like a trash compactor.

She whirled her other arm and hit my flanks this time, not as strongly as she wanted. The glancing blow struck by her powerful arm flung me away, and I crashed onto the wall, knocking my head against the stones as pieces of masonry showered my body a ghostly white.

Spread my forelegs and heaved up my torso, my claws clinking against the cobbled stones as I tried to grab purchase. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the dizziness. I glared at Bella and listened intently to the uproar all around me, the world appearing to slow down as I glimpsed huge, blurry shapes darting out of the church at us.

I growled at her as I saw my plan coming to fruition.

The world twisted around her brittle, cold fingers so easily that Bella had grown careless. She didn't ask herself the simplest questions. How come I was perfectly fine, a lonely shape-shifter in faraway Italy without the presence of his pack? I didn't look tired or worn down, as a lonely wolf should be when he's away from his kind.

It was simple, really. I'd kept the thought carefully tucked away inside my brain, recalling it only in the broadest terms even before the words of advice from the old vamp, Marcus.

The pack had never left Volterra.

_'Jake, you fine?'_

I glanced at Paul's dark silver fur, glimmering in the dusk, and barked sharply.

_'Man, don't ask. Fight!'_

In my blood and bones, I was aware that my ardor foiled Bella. When I tried to be passionate she was completely stumped, as if she didn't know how to react. She even acted more clumsily than usual. I had noticed with dismay that was never the case with Edward; she was infinitely more poised with him, the ability she possessed obviously directing her actions towards him as the power inside her sought its mate.

If my passion stumped her, I would destroy her with it. Used my wolf to store hints and plans beneath the layer of human consciousness; employed the lust created by mating with Emmett and Edward to mask the trap I hoped to spring on her. Passion was the shield which protected me when I texted instructions to Quil just before I sent the message to Emmett in which I told him I would be his.

The slight warmth I felt whenever I passed San Paolo's church? It was where my pal kept vigil. That's why my feet always directed me there by instinct.

Bella was just where I wanted her to be, near Paul's hiding place.

The pack stationed themselves around Volterra without letting me know their exact location. Of course, they didn't have to.

It was the reason why I trod that path with Marcus, and today I had arrived at the place where Bella ambushed me. I hid my thoughts in the only place safe from her manipulations and her damned luck that twisted everything in this world which bent to her whims. My wolf was safe from her wiles; it had always been so.

So I shouted endearments to Emmett in a poignant farewell, using a tongue Bella couldn't understand because it partook of the spirit world and therefore was free from her manipulations.

Under the guise of saying goodbye to Emmett, I told the pack in Quileute to attack her.

The sight of my lover struggling brought me back to the world. Launched myself towards the vamps that were holding Edward captive; my jaws closing around an arm as my sharp teeth cut through the bone. The newborn stared at the stump on his shoulder uncomprehendingly as I spit out the limb which fell to the ground.

I heard the howling and snarling of my friends all around as the stink of the leeches mixed with the scent of my pack. The waning sun shined dimly on the alley, striking sparks off struggling marble bodies as their cowls fell to the floor, in their violent struggle with the giant wolves.

The alley remained empty of humans. Didn't have time to wonder where the people were because I was too busy trying to survive. Glancing around, I wanted to know if my lovers needed me.

"Jake…"

Crouching, I gazed towards the side of the alley near the church. Five vamps were holding onto Emmett; my big guy was struggling mightily, his handsome face twisted in pain as cracks began to appear in the broad shoulders I clung to during our lovemaking.

It was a mere whisper, yet it told me so much. Emmett was asking for help in the only way he would allow himself to. I heaved up my body, jumping towards them while two vamps smirked at me and let go of Emmett's legs.

They were expecting me to crash onto them, but I knew a way around. Phased in midair and became a frail human once more. Weighed less and therefore, landed away from the two, smack-dab in the middle of the damned leeches.

Cold fingers wrapped around my bare heel. I expected the vamp to crush my foot but instead, Emmett's huge hand broke the vampire's wrist. Didn't wait any longer and shifted back into wolf form, leaning down to close my jaws around the head of the bloodsucker who looked oddly familiar. If I was right, this was one of Aro's guards.

My mouth clamped shut like a vise around the damned leech, snapping the head off the trunk with a sickening crunching sound.

"Thanks... wolf," Emmett wheezed as he scooted on his knees right next to me, having dispatched two other vamps.

I glanced at him, my tail twitching involuntarily at the happy sight of my unharmed lover. There was a thick trail of black smoke right behind him, rising towards the darkening sky. It contrasted sharply against Emmett's smooth, huge biceps. It appeared to come from the center of Volterra.

Was it a gas station burning or a bomb had exploded? I snarled, my heart thumping a mad rhythm against my ribs at the injustice of the world. How many had been killed in the effort to keep people away from the alley, just so the stupid bitch would get the opportunity to get rid of me?

I decided this would be the last day Bella walked upon the Earth.

I heard Seth howling in pain and whirled towards the side of the alley which ended on the small street. Seth was caught between two vamps. If someone hurt the kid, I would kill them!

_'Jake, Carlisle's coming!'_

Glanced hastily at the small street and glimpsed the smallish gray wolf, dashing towards Seth's attackers.

_'Sure, sure.'_

The pastry store named _Leandra_ something? That's where I sensed Leah.

So the head vamp had betrayed us; it explained why Bella and the newborn army she apparently created could slip undetected through the vaunted powers of the Volturi. Couldn't say I didn't expect it, which was the reason I told Quil to contact the other Cullens.

In the heat of the battle, I glimpsed strange sights; Doc Cullen snarling at a slim vampire before his arms wrapped around her shoulders in a tight hug, his hands looping behind the pale neck before he tore off her head. Guessed being a doctor gave Carlisle the knowledge to be extremely deadly when he wanted to.

Shadows loomed over me and I crouched, belly flat against the ground, hackles rising at the scent of the two vamps standing right in front of me, next to a door which hung askew on its hinges.

They jumped towards me, but someone yanked the arm of the bigger leech who went sprawling against the wall. The whirling dark hair framing a perfect face told me the woman attacking the newborn was Esme.

Gotta admit I was worried. If all the Cullens were present, that meant Blondie was here, too. What would Emmett do with Rosalie? What would I do if he returned to her?

I shook my head, trying to step out of this Bella frame of mind and fight like a Quileute should!

"Jacob, Edward needs you!" Esme said before punching the tall newborn in the gut.

Turned my head to look toward the church. There was no sign of Edward. Matter of fact, the alley looked like one of the pictures from World War Two I had seen when I browsed in search of the layout for the catacombs. It was full of rubble, and deep gouges on the walls showed where the leeches and our side had struggled.

Heard Edward snarling and I whirled around, squinting at the sight just twenty feet away. Edward held one of Bella's arms and Emmett the other.

"I've had enough of you, spoiled princess," growled Emmett, holding tightly onto her left arm while he dodged her kicking feet with ease.

"You won't hurt Jacob," snarled Edward, his eyes dark as the sky over us.

I felt a shiver of desire, sharp as a spike, shooting through my body at the sight of my vamps defending me.

Two bloodsuckers rushed towards me and blocked my vision, but I could still hear my mates struggling with her. I snarled at the newborns, walking backwards so the wall would protect me from other leeches.

"Lemme go or I'll kill you!" shouted Bella. "The moronic dog deserves to die!"

"Why?" Edward yelled; he must have avoided her fist, because then I heard a booming sound as it crashed against the wall, pieces of stone clattering against the ground.

A huge black wolf pounced on the leech to my left, affording me the opportunity to glance towards the three of them.

"The damned dog spoiled my plans, my wedding…" Bella snarled, her thin face scrunching up in an ugly fashion as she squirmed to get free, her limbs writhing like steel pythons. "You've always been a simpering fool, Edward, so easy to trick! Alice saw that my child, Renesmee…"

That silly name distracted me enough that I didn't see the pale hand rushing towards me. Felt the excruciating pain as he squeezed my left hind leg, and the sound of the bone breaking. Couldn't keep it in, and I howled in pain before I whirled around to bite the newborns' arm, tearing off a chunk.

Edward glanced at me then; I cursed myself for distracting my vamps because it allowed Bella to punch his handsome face. Edward was thrown against the wall which shook violently.

I stood up shakily and walked towards them, my leg throbbing in pain which coursed through my body, travelling from my thigh to my flanks and up to my chest.

I thought it was my injury which made the ground wobble beneath me. Lurched this way and that before regaining my equilibrium. Watching my lovers, though, I realized it wasn't me but the earth itself that was shaking in a big earthquake.

The building behind them lurched sideways and started to fall.

Bella's powers coming to the fore, I guessed. Had to act now because I couldn't just allow her to leave unscathed. Bella would remain a threat with the remnants of her newborn army, plus the Volturi that would inevitably rally around her. Not to mention the world always doing her bidding.

Many stones fell on Emmett and Edward but none on Bella!

I had to seize the moment because the instincts of my wolf told me it was mine for the taking. Otherwise, if I let her go Bella would grow too powerful to touch.

Whimpering in pain, I crouched low until my chest hugged the ground. Then I heaved up my body and jumped, exquisite pain shooting sparks through my body as I put pressure on my broken leg.

Didn't matter, though. Dashing through the air towards the three of them, I used the pain as a lever to focus my mind. Skimming along the fine edge between man and wolf, I imagined myself a surfer riding a big ocean wave, knowing it could easily kill me.

It seemed to take forever to reach her. Whirled my shoulders so my head leaned towards her as the building fell upon us. The stones didn't hit me, though, and I was able to twist my neck just so and open my jaws, my teeth getting a hold on her neck.

Now that the lives of Edward and Emmett were in danger, I couldn't afford to think so I ceded control to the wolf and allowed him the freedom to strike as he was born to do.

My sharp teeth passed through her cold, dead flesh which felt soft as butter. Closing my eyes and offering a silent prayer to the gods, my jaws snapped shut and tore the head off her body with an odd sound, like pavement breaking under the tires of my car. Her lifeless trunk fell to the ground, and her limbs flailed around madly.

I landed with a crunching sound, panting as pain overwhelmed me when my already injured bone broke on another spot. Shaking my head wearily, I spit off her head which wobbled like a huge marble, her lifeless eyes staring at me with her usual stupid look before they rolled out of sight.

Looked up at the sound of yelling coming from the direction of the church. My whiskers twitched at the acrid stench coming from the center of Volterra; hoped the firemen could control it.

I saw cloaked figures gliding toward us as the building finished collapsing, and watched three stones fall upon Bella's dead body just before a big one hit the back of my neck.

Slumped to the ground and slipped into the welcoming darkness, until I felt cold fingers gently grasping the scruff of my neck, caressing my fur as Emmett tilted up my chin.

Gazing blearily at the handsome face in front of me, I heard him through the deafening ringing in my ears as his fingers brushed my fur. "Edward's talking with the Volturi, Jacob. Your pack went back into hiding. I'll stay and fight these suckers to buy you time, but you must go!"

I barked my assent and lurched to my feet, limping towards the end of the alley, favoring my left leg.

I dimly heard Aro's voice, shrill with madness, "_Caro Edoardo_, your wolf broke our truce!"

Walked as fast as I could, sniffling at the thick smoke coming from the center of the city. I smacked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, trying to get rid of the bitter dust rising from the destruction the earthquake left in its wake.

Made my way out of the alley; basking in the knowledge that the pack, Edward, and Emmett were safe.

"We'll find our way to you, always. Take care, and … I love you, sweet Jacob," Emmett said quietly, barely perceptible amid the ringing sound that wouldn't let up.

I huffed contentedly at his words.

* * *

oOoOo

Walked out of Volterra, hiding my body in the gathering shadows of dusk. Didn't dare to phase because I wasn't sure if Edward would persuade the Volturi not to come after me. I doubted I could gather the strength to phase back into my wolf if I needed to fight.

I hadn't seen the pixie at the fight, and that gave me pause. Bella had said Alice saw this Renesmee in her vision. Why did the pixie allow Bella to face us alone?

I sighed tiredly, deciding that Alice probably didn't want to encounter her siblings in battle. One less leech to fight, anyway.

There were few people around. The distant wailing of the fire truck sirens rushing into Volterra gave me hope that the fire would be controlled so there would be fewer damage and casualties. The earthquake and whatever caused the fire must have struck fear in the people. I supposed they were watching the news on TV, too worried to venture out into the open. Worked for me because it allowed me to walk undetected.

The stench of smoke lingered in my nostrils long after I left Volterra.

The moon hung low on the sky, shining upon the fields. They were so carefully laid out, I realized viscerally people had tended them for thousands of years.

The adrenaline rush from the battle had left me dead tired, and the throbbing pain on my leg wouldn't stop. Only the dire need to put space between the Volturi and me kept me going.

I should've thought of this and packed a cell phone inside a bag tied to my ankle. I couldn't make detailed plans tough, because merely thinking about my intentions could have changed the outcome of the battle according to Marcus.

But if the Volturi were working with Bella, perhaps what the old vamp told me wasn't the truth.

I huffed softly, my ears pricking up at the scurrying sound of mice and rabbits on the fields and a lonely owl hooting above.

Yawning widely, I sank upon the soft grass and extended my forelegs. I gazed up and down the field, my wolf vision allowing me to gauge if there was anything threatening around me. Finally, I rested my chin between my forelegs, my eyelids drooping despite my efforts to stay awake.

The stress from the battle caused me to have strange dreams. I dimly saw a huge wolf shape detaching itself from the shadows around me. It wasn't from my pack.

Later I dreamed I was resting on my mother's soft arms; she was carrying me home after I had spent the day at Embry's.

Woke up when I smelled chicken broth. I felt a hard cot under me, my fingers clutching tightly a thin blanket.

"I see you are awake," a woman said. Her voice had a rusty, guttural sound and she spoke with an accent I hadn't heard before.

"What?" I said thickly, propping myself up on my elbows and wincing at the sharp pain coming from my leg. Apparently I was so tired and out of it, I phased while I slept in the fields.

"You are hurt, young man. I saw you out there in the cold night and had to offer you a warm place for tonight."

I gazed around at the barely furnished room. The cot and a chair next to the stove were the only furniture. A bare light bulb cast strange shadows as it slowly swung back and forth.

"Thanks. Did you carry me here?" I frowned at her.

She didn't answer me; instead she ladled broth onto a bowl with a wooden spoon while she hummed a lullaby.

"You need to eat well because you've just had a trying day, Jacoppo," she said softly, her sharp aquiline profile visible against the beige walls. She had long, dark hair tied in two braids.

"Hey, how do you know my name?" I sat up on the cot in startlement because if the woman worked for the Volturi, I was done for.

She turned her face towards me and I noticed her tanned skin; it made her resemble Sue Clearwater. The warmth in her eyes, though, reminded me of Esme.

The woman cocked her head at the floor next to the cot. "Your name was in that letter."

"What?" I tried to lean down and pick up the piece of paper next to several slats of wood, but the pain from the badly healed fracture shot arrows through my body.

She smiled briefly and bent down to pick up the letter, her long flowing white dress fanning around her legs, and then she handed it to me with a curt nod. She smelled like a mix of sage and lavender; made me think of mom, actually. She liked those scents.

I opened the folded piece of paper with trembling hands, wondering if it came from Edward. The handwriting was too slanted to be Edward's, though.

_Dear Jacoppo,_

_I'm afraid Aro was convinced by whatever ability mad Isabella possessed. He wanted her to join our guards in the belief that her power to shape the world would benefit the Volturi in the long run, forgetting the dangers he himself foresaw. Isn't it strange how that woman could turn anyone into her servant?_

_Cheiron alerted me to the danger you were in. I trust you remember him? He told me about Aro's plans. It would seem you are a persuasive young man indeed._

_Your lovers are safe for now. You are in the hands of an old friend of mine; call her whatever you like, she answers to many names._

_I shall endeavor to change Aro's mind._

_Marcus_

Heaving a deep sigh of relief at the news that Edward and Emmett were safe, I glanced at her. "Could you tell me your name?"

She didn't answer; instead, she gave me the broth and a loaf of black bread.

I grabbed the bowl gingerly and wolfed down the thick liquid, munching on the thick slice of bread while she stared at me. I didn't feel threatened because it reminded me of the way Emily watched us as we ate the meals she had cooked.

I nodded my thanks and leaned down to place the bowl on the stone floor, groaning at the pain on my leg.

She made disapproving sounds as she lifted her hand to point at me. "Young people are so impulsive nowadays, Jacoppo. You do remind me of two young heroes I met in similar circumstances."

"Sorry, lady, but my leg hurts like a bitch," I muttered, hoping she wouldn't be offended by my swearing.

"We'll have to see about that, won't we?" She gracefully knelt down on the floor and touched my leg. Then she gazed up at me, her brown eyes warm under the light of the electric bulb.

"I'm going to set the bone correctly. Are you ready?"

I started sweating in dread at what she intended. I had just nodded when she twisted my leg sharply, breaking the bone along the same fracture line so it would mend correctly, following the procedure I knew only too well from Doc Cullen's treatment.

I gritted my teeth, whimpering softly. Didn't want to yell like a maniac in front of the nice lady.

In the fog of pain, I barely glanced at the makeshift splints she fashioned out of the wooden slats and a torn sheet.

Afterwards, she carefully put down my bandaged leg on the cot, covering it with the blanket. She patted it softly and then grinned at me. "I've found stoic young men in any age, Jacoppo. You behave just like Romulus and Remus."

* * *

tbc


	10. The woodsman

_**Warnings:** NC-17, graphic sex, threesome, dirty imagery and so on._

* * *

"So you were with the founders of Rome?" I said, lifting my hand to cover my yawn.

"Indeed I was, Jacob. You may call me Mara." She cocked an eyebrow at me. "I cared for them until they could stand on their own, and I must say you are well informed!"

"Nope." I shrugged tiredly, the stress of the battle and the desperate flight to seek refuge catching up with me. "It's surprising what turns up on the web when you're researching."

She sat on the edge of the cot, and it sagged and wobbled as if she weighed far more than her slim body suggested. "I nursed those sickly, stubborn babies back to health, but in caring for them, people saw my true nature. Later I watched from the distance as they built their tiny ramparts around the seven hills by the Tiber. The people did flock to their charismatic appeal."

Her hands were tightly clasped on her lap while she took a deep breath, and when I looked into her eyes, I noticed they were the same hue as my dad's. "The village they built grew beyond their expectations and became the city that birthed all others."

Her rusty voice soothed me because it felt comforting having Mara around. She was a no-nonsense woman, just like Esme and Leah. I fidgeted and shied away from adding Rosalie to that list. Didn't want to think about her; it wasn't that I felt guilty. Emmett made it clear they were no longer together. I feared that in the aftermath of the battle Rosalie had come to reclaim what was hers, my big bear.

I wiggled on the cot, my heart beating fast at the thought of losing Emmett.

I pressed my palm against my bare chest, willing my heartbeat to slow down while Mara smiled fondly at me. "You don't have to do that, _caro_ Jacoppo, I treated your injuries."

"Sorry, ma'am. I'm tired is all." I glanced at the floor, unwilling to let her know I worried about my vamps. Hoped Edward wouldn't do any silly, heroic stunt like slaving away for the Volturi. He was so damned stubborn he made me cringe! Wanted to run my fingers through his silky hair before smacking his head.

Mara made to stand up but I leaned towards her and touched her bare forearm. She felt as warm as Leah, which gave me another hint to her shapeshifting nature. "Please stay, won't you talk to me?" Maybe her soothing tone would distract me from the sudden onset of worry about my damned vamps.

"I will do it, young man." She shrugged her shoulders with a fluid rolling motion. "I have to go soon, though. I've stayed at this place for far too long, and the people are getting suspicious. They are as nosy and stubborn as their Etruscan ancestors, back when…"

She trailed off, which gave me the chance to ask about her life. "So you've lived for thousands of years?"

"That is true. It's been uneventful mostly, though I was consumed with grief after Romulus killed Remus."

I gasped, not being aware of this part of the story. Mara noticed my reaction and shook her head.

"Always headstrong, that twin. Didn't know either patience or understanding, which may have added to his appeal to the people. Couldn't find his inner balance," she said, gazing piercingly at me.

"I see." Mara's words reminded me of Emmett and Edward; they were both headstrong and charismatic.

"So I meandered up the coast of Latium, infected by Romulus' sad mood. Aged a bit, because I stopped phasing. I wanted to grow old and die until one day, I met a cold man who showed me warmth; Marcus had lifeless eyes which looked at me with sympathy. We talked and I found out about the old augurs and prophecies that forced me to work with the vampires until the day I would meet another like me…"

I dozed off for a while, lulled by her voice and the scent which mixed so well with the wheat fields on the countryside, achingly reminding me of the woods back home, of dad and the smell of cured leather when he returned from the hunt.

"… Marcus told me about the end of the world."

I sat up at that, but Mara pushed me back onto the pillow. "Why so startled, Jacob? I found the vampire easy to talk to because of our shared melancholy."

"You did?" I said groggily. For a moment I swore she was talking about the battle with Bella in which we finished her off, thus saving the world.

She just shrugged. "He needed help dealing with a rival coven, and proposed a deal which became my path to immortality."

"What deal?"

"That's not for me to say, young cub. Suffice it to say that it brought balance to an untenable situation and helped Marcus' coven."

"You worked with the enemy!"

"Only as long as it fit my needs," she said. "I had to endure because there is a greater danger which I must help prevent."

"By helping leeches?"

"Yes, cub. You worked with them yourself in order to get rid of the disturbance that would have surely destroyed this." She stood up, opening her arms in an exquisite motion to indicate the room and the fields. Guessed when you lived hundreds of years, you got elegance in the packaged deal.

"Sometimes, you've got to have a worthy adversary to flourish – to prepare you, just as happened with the vampire girl."

"Bella?" I said hoarsely, the reality of having killed her just sinking in. In the midst of worrying about stubborn Ed and Emmett, I hadn't really paid much attention to the fact she was dead, though something in the way Mara looked at me, dark eyes brimming with sympathy, made me suspect that perhaps Bella wasn't dead at all. The ancient shifter seemed to be hinting at greater trouble ahead.

She nodded sagely. "Dealing with her gave you the experience you will need in the future."

"What do you mean?"

She leaned down and her thumb brushed my forehead. Her smell felt oddly familiar, fresh and smoky like a mix of the woods and First Beach after a bonfire. Her eyes were huge and dark, and I felt a pull that called up strong instincts in me.

"You're just like Romulus, young Jacob. The future is alive and I have seen it twist and writhe, desperately wanting to come into being. It fights stagnation and seeks freshness, hence mortality."

"What do you mean?" I started to say, but her fingers on my lips silenced me.

"You are both future and past. I have abided for millennia, seeking this moment in which prophecies merge and come to pass - for you and your mates are everything that stands between death and renewal. I must warn you, Jacob, that your troubles are far from over."

I must have been tired because the last thing I remembered from that night were her eyes as she loomed over me, bright as the light bulb in the stark room. I closed my eyes, sighing at the soft brush of her lips against my forehead while a faint whisper reached my ears. "You must use chaos' weapons to defeat it!"

oOoOo

"I'm sorry, wolf, but when I met Rosalie again, I realized I still love her." Emmett grabbed the cushion next to him and ripped it apart, just like his words tore my heart to shreds. The sunlight fell directly over the roofless living room in the Cullen house, striking sparks off his baby blue eyes.

I leaned down, sobbing bitterly as I cradled my face on my hands. I knew it would come to this. Whatever pull Emmett felt for me must have gone after he fucked me. He had enough of the novelty and was ready to return to the comfort and love of his woman.

"Now that the danger with Bella has passed, I feel you don't need me anymore."

"Course I need you, man!" I let out a broken sigh, furiously wiping my face with the back of my hands. "It was never about Bella! It was about you! You're…"

Emmett didn't let me finish, though. "I have to be frank with you, Jake." He reached out towards me but I shrank back from his touch, knowing this would be the last time he would allow himself to show the warmth shining in his blue eyes.

"Go to her!" I spat out, but despite it all I couldn't help myself. I tilted my neck and burrowed my face on his thighs, sobbing hard.

"I'll remember fondly the time we spent in Tuscany, and the perils we overcame while getting rid of the selfish _garota_."

At that, I looked up at him through bleary eyes. Emmett didn't sound like his usual self.

"I forget you don't speak Portuguese." He shrugged. "I meant the crazy girl, the spoiled princess."

I shuddered when Emmett scrunched up his handsome face because it meant more bad news.

"I need you to be strong, Jacob." He patted my shoulders, a distant look in his eyes. "Edward struck a deal with the Volturi. He indentured himself, and will serve in their guard."

"What!" I shouted. "Please don't tell me Bella returned. She always prattled about how vampires were indestructible, even with their heads cut off." I felt like phasing and howling in anguish.

"Calm down, wolf," Emmett said patiently. "I made sure Edward burned her body. Bella's not coming back. Edward struck a deal with the Volturi so they would let you live; they won't interfere with you or your pack as long as he serves in the Volturi guard."

I broke down at that, rocking back and forth on the couch, breathing harsh as tears and snot ran down my chin. Victory felt bitter on my tongue, the rewards having been torn from my grasp. Battled Bella so my vamps and I could be together, and now they were gone forever.

Bella had won at last because I lost Edward and Em. I was lonelier than ever. Glanced up at Emmett, who was rising towards the sky wreathed in a silvery mist.

I whimpered as he called to me, "Jacob, wake up! Wolf, wakey wakey!"

Felt a jarring movement on the couch as cold fingers gripped my arm and yanked me out of my dream.

Waking up, I shook my head groggily. That damned nightmare had felt so real! Felt the wetness on my face as tears ran down my cheeks. Saw Emmett blurrily, and choked back a sob.

He tilted up my chin, his thumb caressing my cheek as his cold touch brought me closer to reality. Glancing around, I saw the bare walls of Mara's house, though it was a different room. I was lying on a soft bed; apparently she had carried me here when I fell asleep before she left.

Emmett was gone, too. I heard the sounds of pans crashing against each other as he called out, "Fixing you a hot cup of coffee! It'll clear up your pretty head. It's what mom used to give me if a branch fell on me and knocked me silly."

I went to the bathroom to do my business and then washed my face, hardly aware of what I was doing. The damned nightmare clung to my brain as I returned to the bedroom and wearily plopped down on the mattress.

I sobbed quietly because the feeling of despair induced by the dream wouldn't go away. It clutched my heart tightly as I wondered where Edward was. Emmett ambled over and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me up on the bed as he pressed a hot cup onto my hand.

I sipped tentatively; the coffee was too strong and lacked sugar but I gulped it greedily, hoping it would clear the fog in my mind.

Putting the cup down, I nodded at Emmett, whose cute eyebrows were puzzled in thought. This, in turn, reminded me of the dream.

"Emmett, you fucking idiot, you left me!" I reached out and yanked him down by his shirt as the buttons went flying and tinkled down on the floor. "You went back to Rosalie!"

"What the hell are you talking about, mutt?" He held up his hands. "It was a dream, man! Only a dream."

I let him go and wrapped my arms around myself, leaning sideways and canting up my hips as I pulled up my knee close to my chest, the bandages rough on my skin.

"I smell her scent around you, man. So don't tell me you didn't meet with Rosalie!" I bit hard my bottom lip to prevent further accusations escaping my mouth. Didn't want to sound as shrill as Bella.

"Fine, wolf" Emmett huffed in exasperation as he sat down a few inches away from me. His fingers caressed the threadbare blanket bunched around my thighs as he looked into my eyes. "Rosalie was there. Jacob, she is a spitfire when she fights! Always loved that about her."

Hearing these words, I wiggled away from him until Emmett reached out to grasp my chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting my face towards him. "We spoke, and she told me she is doing fine on her own. Rose wished me the best of luck to deal with sexy, stubborn wolves. Man, do I need that just about now!"

"You are staying with me?"

"Of course!" Emmett's nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. He leaned down and gazed at me with golden eyes. "Let me tell you something of what I feel."

I nodded shakily at the intensity of his voice. Emmett absently ran his fingers through my hair, his gaze fixed on me. "When you said those pretty words in your tongue, there was something in the way you stood that… just about killed me."

"Em…"

He didn't let me finish, pressing his finger against my lips. My tongue darted out to lick at the cold pad of his thumb, drawing a shudder from him as he said, "Let me finish, ok? I knew you would play the hero, do some stunt that would put your life in danger. You see, there was a woodsman I worked with in Tennessee, back in the old days."

There was a tinge of wistfulness in his voice which made me sit up. Emmett didn't talk much about his past, and suddenly I wanted to know more.

"Go on," I muttered softly.

"One day, this guy and I were felling a tree. Ted was a lot like you, sweet Jacob. The tree had this huge canker which should've alerted me to the fact it was partly rotten. I had just cut the open-faced notch on the trunk when it lurched sideways. I didn't have much time to react, and Ted just pushed me away, telling me to run. He cocked his hips just like you did and then turned to grab the saw. The tree tilted in the wrong direction. It caused this heavy limb to swing down and crash against his skull, killing him."

"I'm sorry, Em."

"I had my fatal encounter with the bear a few days later." Emmett hunched down his shoulders. "Seeing you so vulnerable with those vampires brought this to my mind. Actually, I thought you would pick Edward to save, which made me feel cut off from the world and willing to let them do what they wanted. But then I wanted to kill them for taking you away from me!"

He frowned at me and growled, "So don't you dare doubt for a moment that I want you, sexy wolf!"

Listening to his tale as he opened himself to me, it just about killed me. Emmett held my heart on the palm of his hand with his combination of strength and vulnerability, and the clueless hunk didn't know it.

I rolled on the bed, grasping the collar of his open shirt while I wrapped my leg around his waist, pulling him down with me. We ended up facing each other. "I had to do it, can't you see, Em? Bella wanted me to choose between Edward and you, and there's no way I could ever do that."

I rubbed my thumb on his smooth cheek, wanting so much to tell him what he meant to me. My arousal twitched, trapped beneath the blanket, when I pictured him in those days. But first, I had to make sure of something. I drew a shaky breath, wanting and needing to know where Edward was. If he had decided to serve the Volturi, I had to convince Em so we would go and rescue him. Afterwards I would give him a piece of my mind, before I hugged my vamp. If Edward thought he would pull his hero tricks with me, he had another thing coming; the sexy, infuriating, smirking vampire whom I missed like hell.

"… at the battle. Hey, wolf, pay attention!" Emmett said, a bit exasperatedly.

I shivered with guilt. No matter how I dealt with the big guy, I ended up thinking about Edward. I smiled half-heartedly at him, running my fingers along his strong jaw.

"Sorry, man. Was woolgathering."

"I know." He smiled boyishly. "Edward's fine, he's coming later. Had to deal with Aro."

I held my breath, hoping his next words wouldn't be to tell me Edward had sold himself to the Volturi.

"Aro was stubborn. Obviously, he hated losing Bella as a weapon; that older guy who always looks so sad…"

"Marcus…"

"Yep, he was the one who managed to convince Aro at last." Emmett said, his eyes narrowing as he pushed me against the bed. He yanked the blanket and threw it down to the floor; his fingers groped my legs, taking care to avoid the bandages. "I need to know if you are fine."

"Yes, man. Healing powers, remember?"

"Good," he said, his hands snaking up to caress my thighs before shoving them apart. "Want to eat you up, Jake. You have no idea how sexy you look, all sleepy-eyed and mussed."

I groaned, bucking up my hips to find some friction for my cock. Emmett fingered the bandages on my leg, cocking his eyebrows at me and I nodded, rubbing my hands all over his torso before grabbing the hem of his shirt to rip it off him.

"Tut, tut, wolf. You're too rough," he said with a smirk, before gently tearing off the bandages and pulling off my briefs. Then he leaned down to lick my ear shell, whispering dirty words, "In the battle, when I saw you fighting those Volturi? You make me crazy, because all I could think of was how thick you felt inside me, how hungrily you clenched your hole around my cock."

Emmett's weight above me and his dick pressing on my abs made me so hard, wanted him inside me. But his words and care, the vulnerability he showed made me hot in a different way. Wanted to soothe him so he knew I loved him, in a way he would understand.

Wanted to fuck him so hard he forgot all about his past; I needed the lonely woodsman for myself. I yearned to see him come undone.

With a mighty heave, I rolled us around so I ended on top, my fingers hooked around the belt loops of his pants while I lowered the zipper with my right hand: Em lifted his hips and I slipped his pants and briefs off him. His thick cock sprang free, throbbing just below his cut abs.

"Wanna know what's in my head, Em?" I said, licking my lips.

"Sure, wolf. I don't have Edward's power, remember."

"I wish I'd met you in those woods," I said roughly, my fingers playing with his nubs, teasing them to hardness before I sucked on them gently, gazing down at him through half-lidded eyes. "I might have just dropped to my knees to service you."

I smirked at him, my fingers touching his chest on their way down to his pubes, to finally close around his slick cockhead.

"Nice that you're so wet for me, Em, makes it easy to do this." I kissed the crown of his cock before licking the smooth, purple skin and swallowing him. He bucked up his hips, and I moaned around his thick shaft.

"God, your mouth, Jacob!" he said, running his fingers through my hair as I bobbed up and down on his dick, letting it go free with a loud pop and tonguing the wet cockhead like a candy stick. His musky scent was making me dizzy with want and I wiggled my hips so my cock would rub against his ankle. I licked the slit very slowly, gazing up at him with wide eyes, knowing the effect it would have on him.

"Jacob, take that cock!" He thrust up his hips and I took him inside, my lips covering my teeth so they wouldn't bite the smooth, velvety prick. My hands rubbed circles around his hips before snaking down to knead his rump. He stabbed my mouth with his dick, pumping up his hips like he was out of control. Little did he know what I had planned for him.

I slid my head off his cock, letting it go with a reluctant lick of his shiny head as spit ran down my chin. His prick plopped down on his belly while I wiped my chin and leaned towards the headboard, my hand rummaging on the night table for the jar of face cream I had seen there. It would have to do as lube.

I crouched over him, my knees wedged between his thick thighs, and I upended the jar over my throbbing dick. The white cream mixed with precome until it was a slick mess. "I'm gonna fuck you, Em."

"What?" He tried to close his thighs but I held them open with my knees.

"You want me to lick you open, man? Want me to spread your hole on my tongue until it looks sloppy and used?" I stabbed my finger inside him, nudging carefully until I found the spot. Emmett groaned, his cock glimmering with his juices as I scissored my fingers, slowly dragging my knuckles over his prostate.

My fingers slipped out of him with a lewd popping sound and I scooted forward on my knees, pulling up his leg so it rested against his chest. My fingers gripped my slick shaft and I thrust in, delighting in the tight coldness around me.

"You okay, man?" I said, pausing for a bit to let him adjust.

Emmett hooked his other leg over my shoulder and canted his hips, his walls squeezing me tight. Grunting, I rocked my hips and slid into him, my hands caressing his toned chest.

"You feel so tight, Em. Bet you've thought about this."

"I haven't."

He grunted when I bottomed out, my dick staying there for a few seconds until I jerked my hips and drew back. I looked down at the spot where our bodies joined; it was so hot watching my dark meat sliding out of his pale ass.

"Bet you've had fantasies." I looked at him and grabbed his wrist to lift his hand, kissing each knuckle in turn. "Bet you want Carlisle."

The shuddering of the huge body below made me smirk. "You want to ride his lap, right?" I wiped the sweat on my brow as I jabbed my cock inside him, the big guy rolling his hips under me at the moment we joined deeply. "And you fantasize about going to the hospital and bending him over his desk, fucking him deep and harsh."

Emmett's eyes rolled back as his hand reached down to touch his leaking cock. I gripped his wrist, though. "Forget about those fantasies, Em. You belong to me and Edward, if the fucker ever shows up."

Emmett clenched tight around me and I fucked him harshly, my sweat pooling on his abs while I groaned like a wild beast. It was so exquisite I doubted I could hold out much longer.

I wanted him to know what I felt, though, and the words just escaped my lips. "Love you, Em!"

"I know, wolf." He panted, writhing below me. "Now shut up… and fuck me!"

Wanted to try a new angle - prolong the pleasure – so I pulled out of him with a loud squelching sound and manhandled him so he was on his knees and elbows. Went right back inside, sinking in like a knife sliding through hot butter. I guessed Emmett was dazed or he would have put up a fight, so my goal was achieved. Pumped my cock in a lazy rhythm, leaning down to caress his short hair, my chest melding perfectly with his muscled back. It was heaven but I missed someone; where the hell was…?

The house rattled like a whirlwind was going through it. Didn't have to wonder what was going on because I sensed his smell.

Edward yanked back my hair, growling, "You will be the death of me, Jacob."

"What?" I said thickly, shaking my head.

Edward stepped back and stood beside the bed, busily taking off his clothes.

I fucked Emmett slowly, just keeping in place while I shuddered at Edward's face. His eyes were black and he was snarling at us as he undid the buttons of his shirt.

"I was busy dealing with damned Aro and his crazed ideas," he said. "After Marcus slipped us the note with the directions to get here, we decided Emmett would check on you while I finished our deal with the Volturi."

I opened my mouth to protest about the deal but Edward just glared at me. Man, was he angry at me!

Edward grabbed his shirt and just tore it off. "I'm mad that you would think I'd leave you, Jacob. When he left Volterra, Emmett said I'd better hurry or he would fuck you so hard you wouldn't be able to sit for a week."

"He did?"

Emmett grunted when I thrust harshly into him.

"Glad to see you turned the tables," Edward said nonchalantly as he toed off his loafers. "I rushed to get here." He slid his pants down his legs. "On the road, I read your imagery, Jacob. Servicing woodsmen by sucking their cocks!"

I shrugged, wishing he would stop speaking and just get on with the fucking.

"And when you two got to the sex, it caused me to crash the car! It's never happened before." He took off his shorts, his long cock standing proud. My mouth watered at the sight; the head throbbed, as angry as its owner.

He climbed on the bed and scooted toward us, his dick bobbing in front of Emmett. Edward gripped the base of his prick and waved it at us. "My cock needs sucking. I want you to service me!"

We hurried to obey. Emmett lapped up his juices while I licked the vein on the other side, then we took turns swallowing him. Edward brushed his fingers through my hair, cradling my skull so he could fuck into my mouth. Dizzy by the heavy and satiny feel of him upon my tongue, I fucked Em like a rabbit while Edward thrust his hips until I gagged.

Seeing Edward like this was beyond exciting, to know we were the only ones that made him lose his cool until he behaved like a sex animal was so hot, my hole clenched in anticipation.

Edward slipped his cock out of my mouth and I kissed Emmett, our tongues sharing Ed's taste, completely lost in the moment I wished would last forever.

"Whose needy hole should I plug?" said Edward harshly, making us groan. "Emmett, so he gets stuffed to the gills? Or Jacob's piping hot hole?"

Suddenly he was behind me. I felt his thumbs spreading my buttocks and then I yelped as he speared his cockhead into my entrance.

"You don't get lube for doubting me, Jacob." Edward peppered my neck with kisses, thrusting shallowly until I adjusted around him.

"Go on, man," I panted, squeezing him. There was pain, a burning sensation as I became used to him, but the heady fullness prevailed and he was slick due to our spit. I wanted him to claim me, needed him to fuck me deep and hard. Wanted my other mate.

"As you wish." He stabbed my insides, making me whimper when his dick brushed against my prostate. Guessed I forgot about Emmett, lost in my own pleasure, until I felt him squeezing me like a vise as he growled a warning.

We fell into a rhythm. Edward fucked me, his balls slapping against my ass. The motion made me jerk forward and stab Emmett's insides, accompanied by the squelching sound of the lube. He pulled out and I let out a breath, my hips rolling and thrusting back against him as I sought to prolong the moment. This made me withdraw from Emmett, and he grunted as he pushed back, seeking more friction. Then Edward jabbed my walls and I jerked forward, the cycle beginning anew.

Slap-squelch-grunt, slap-squelch-grunt: Felt like Edward was conducting a sex symphony for three using his cock as a baton.

He wrapped his arms around my chest and pulled me up. I sat on my haunches and reclined against his chest, leaning down until I was riding his lap while Emmett rode my cock. Hardly noticed the bed giving way under us, or the plaster raining down because Emmett gripped the wall too hard, seeking purchase.

"Someday, Jacob." Edward's voice was rough with lust. "We'll make you live your fantasy. You will come to the woods and find two hung woodsmen, and you will drop to your knees and suck our cocks, so hungry for it you will take both at once."

I panted harshly, my senses overwrought by it all. Their cold bodies against mine cooled my hot, sweaty body as I greedily inhaled their scents. The new angle stuffed me full of Edward, his dick relentlessly prodding my prostate while Emmett's walls fit like a sleeve around my cock.

"Then we'll fuck you against a tree, Jake. Emmett and I will pass you around, come dribbling out of your used hole, until we've had our fill of you."

It was too much, the dirty words and sensations overwhelmed me. I came with a shout, Emmett just a few seconds later. Clenching madly around Edward coaxed his release as stars swam in my vision. Then I passed out, wedged between my vamps.

oOoOo

I was out of it for a while, and woke up cradled in Edward's arms while the smell of burnt bacon filled my nostrils.

"Emmett is fixing something for you," said Edward softly, brushing my cheek with his thumb, his chin resting on my shoulder. "I'm afraid he's no Esme."

"Doesn't matter," I craned my neck to look at him, sighing in contentment. "As long as I have you, I can spend a day without good food."

"Did you enjoy our lovemaking?"

"You can bet your ass I did." I winced at my words because my backside ached. Didn't want to mention it, but since Edward read my mind it was difficult to conceal.

"Do you want me to soothe it?"

"Nope, if you or Em tried, you would get carried away and it would lead to another fucking session." Then I took a deep breath and said, "Do you have regrets? About her, I mean."

"No. I was so concerned about you I haven't really thought about her passing away."

"You did burn her body?"

"Yes, I did. Emmett insisted we had to do it before Aro took it in his crazy head to intervene."

"Glad you did." I shook my head at the coincidence with my dream. Emmett had said something similar in the nightmare.

"The pack left for Forks; they send their well-wishes. Since the danger has passed they need to go back to their schedule."

"I thought so." My gaze slid to the window and the beautiful trees outside. "I guess we're next."

I felt him nod against my shoulder.

"I'm going to miss this land. Had a lot of adventures here."

"You're right, Jacob," said Emmett, strolling toward us with a plate full with bacon, eggs and bread. "Tuscany brought us together, and I'm thankful for that."

After gulping down Emmett's food, which wasn't so bad after all, I took a brief shower, not without reminding Edward to leave a check for the reparations to the house. It looked a mess after our lovemaking.

It was dusk when we left Mara's place.

Edward's rented Ferrari was a wreck, so we had to use Emmett's Ford.

Edward insisted on driving, and I jostled Emmett into the shotgun seat. Edward hummed a song as he pulled into the highway, occasionally fiddling with the rearview mirror.

"We'll get our things at the hotel and leave for home." Edward peered at the dashboard, finally tapping it with his finger. "We can go via Rome or Milan. Which one do you prefer?"

"Whatever you want, Edward." Emmett turned around, shooting me a boyish grin as he looked at me over the rim of his dark glasses. "What do you prefer, Jacob?"

"Rome," I said with a shrug. It was the same for me, really, but Mara's words made me want to see Rome before we left Italy.

"Okay," said Edward, tucking his hand in his jacket to fish out his cell phone. "Let me arrange transportation. Fiumicino Airport is it, then."

I reclined on the seat, unaware that this simple choice would start a chain of circumstances that would lead us to another source of danger, far greater than Bella had ever been.

* * *

tbc


	11. A fateful picture

_**AN:** Sorry for the delay; RL issues interfered with TL issues._

_**Warnings:** Blood play, graphic sex, rough sex, rimming, public sex._

* * *

The fresh scent of the woods enveloped me, but I felt trapped in the cold arms that gripped my waist, pressing me against the tree. Smothered by his embrace, I couldn't move an inch. No matter how much I squirmed, or the drops of blood running down my bare back because of the friction against the rough bark of the oak, he wouldn't let me free.

"Edward, lemme go. I have to…"

He didn't answer, so I tilted up my chin to shoot him a beseeching glance, shuddering at the intense, black eyes which scrutinized me like I was a piece of raw meat. My dick twitched against his groin, smearing it with precome while Edward hooked his arms beneath my thighs and heaved me up, his cockhead sliding over my crack.

Bucking into his touch, I rode the cold flesh that nudged my entrance. Despite the roughness of his treatment, I wanted Edward inside me, fast.

The problem was the lack of lube.

"Hey," I started to say, but Edward just swiped his fingers across my bleeding back and took them to his mouth, lapping at the thick red liquid. Shivering at the hint of fangs that marred his gentle façade and gave him the look of a sex god, I leaned forward and licked his lips, enjoying the coppery taste on his tongue. Edward kissed me, his tongue invading my mouth in fast, furious stabs.

Aggressively fucking my mouth while his thick fingers breached me, Edward used my own blood to prepare the way for his lust. I squirmed and broke his kiss when he grazed my prostate.

"Eager pup," he said with a smirk. "Don't worry. I'm going to fuck you soon enough."

"Bastard," I managed to groan, burrowing my face in his cold chest.

Should've been scared because this wasn't like Edward at all. Though direct and rough in his lovemaking, he always kept the gentleness I cherished.

It was certainly lacking in the middle of the forest, with the sunshine dappling his broad shoulders like a coat of amber. Groaned and looped my hands around his neck as his fingers jabbed inside me, hiding my grimace as he scissored his fingers to get me ready.

Glancing down at the arousal which bobbed between my abs and his happy trail, my fingers reached down to relieve the pressure, but Edward swatted my hand.

"You'll come on my cock, pup!" he sneered and easily lifted me up, his biceps flexing in the sunshine.

Felt his thumb and fingers spreading my cheeks just before he let go of me; gravity did the sneering bastard's work for him, impaling me on that huge cock.

Grunted with pain at the sudden stretch and my legs gripped his flanks tightly, sliding down because of my sweaty skin. I draped my arms around his back, trying to grab purchase to lift myself up and escape his thick shaft which felt as huge as the trunk I reclined against.

"Still so tight, pup!" Edward stepped back, and I whined low on my throat at the friction caused by his steps as I bounced up and down on his cock.

Smirking, he swung us around and laid against the bark as I leaned towards him, trying to lick the smirk off his face while I swung on his meat. Edward grunted, his fingers kneading my rump as he pushed me down, intent on bottoming out.

I was too full and glared at him. What was the matter with him?

But the delicious rubbing of his girth inside my walls did its damned work; my dick glimmered with my juices as I neared climax. Clenched hungrily around him and spread my arms, grabbing the rough bark to ride him hard and fast. My neglected cock rubbed against the cradle of his abs, and the squelching sound made me dizzy with heat.

Our jostling must have dislodged a sapling which draped around my thigh and shaft, caressing me with the softness Edward lacked while he pounded my ass harsh and fast. Glanced up at him, drinking the sight of his dark eyes, and yanked a hank of his perfect hair, growling like a possessed animal.

"My, oh my! Look at the lusty _cucciolo_!"

"What the hell?" I froze and clung to him.

"He's right, you know," growled Edward as he used my involuntary clenching to his advantage, thrusting jaggedly inside me until he came, coating my insides with his cold seed. "You're my… naughty…. pup!"

Turned back to look at the smug vampire, Aro. He was flanked by the crazed-looking blond and the tiny, deadly vamp they called Jane.

I groaned and hid my face in Edward´s cold chest. Felt his fingers rubbing my stretched rim and the feelings of exposure and shame, coupled with his shaft dragging insistently along my sweet spot made me come, spurting onto our chests.

"How come he's here?" I wheezed out, stars swimming in my vision.

Breathing harshly as I came down from that heavenly orgasm with my face buried in Edward's neck, I heard them talking.

"What do you want?" snarled Edward.

"My friends, that is the wrong way to go about creating your _tulpa_." Aro's voice dripped with condescension.

"I'm not your friend," I spat out. Still impaled on Edward's girth, though, I didn't create a fearful impression.

"Quiet, cub!" said the blond vamp, Caius, his voice tinged with unusual tenderness. "Be thankful to your gods that you won't meet the fate of your Bella."

"Don't remind me of her!" Edward snarled.

"Isabella didn't show the proper respect for the dead!" Aro whirled around and then he stood just in front of me, bathed by the sun while he flourished his cloak. "She scorned Marie Antoinette."

"Who?" I shook my head, trying to understand what the weird vamp meant.

"I loved from afar the unfortunate French Queen," Aro said, his eyes darkening. "When her stars sank, I desperately wanted to change her so she could become one of us."

"And?" Edward said.

In the strange light of the woods, everything seemed possible. In a sense, it felt like I was floating, and I wondered how many historical figures were turned by the Volturi.

"Alas, I made my way into France far too late!" Aro lowered his gaze and made stabbing motions across his neck.

"Couldn't you save her?" I shuddered, realizing he loved the woman who was guillotined.

"Unfortunately, the Queen was already dead," Jane muttered. "The world imposes harsh conditions that escape even the mighty ken of the Volturi."

Aro nodded curtly at her and glanced down, tugging at the sapling which still covered my thigh.

"We cannot overcome true death, unless someone like you arrives. The one who's born in the _ides_, you know." Aro's ruby eyes fixed me with the hunger I had only seen in my fellow predators back in Forks.

"What?"

"That is why you will be mine, Jacob!" Aro yanked my leg, trying to dislodge me from Edward.

"Mine!" he said insistently. "My wolf!"

"Lemme go!" I trashed against the cold hand gripping my leg while the leaves tingled down across my lap. "Lemme go, damn bloodsucker!"

Cold fingers caressed my torso, and I felt soft lips against my shoulder. ""Wolf, wake up! Wake up, Jacob!"

It was his smooth voice and the gentle way he rubbed my shoulders that did the trick. I opened my eyes, gazing at Edward through bleary eyes. "Whaaat?"

"You had a nightmare, Jacob." Edward wrapped me in his strong arms and I clung tight to him, rubbing my eyes against his cheek. I wiggled my thighs on his boxers, wincing at the wet spot.

I glanced around the bed. The broad daylight glimmered on the antique furniture of the hotel room they had rented for our last night in Rome.

"Do you feel all right?" He brushed my hair tenderly.

"Just fine, just fine."

Rolled off of him and shook my leg to dislodge the sheet draped around my thigh, uncomfortable at the wetness which was the evidence of my dream. Extending my arm, I grabbed the pillow and put it over the incriminating mark, fully aware that Edward knew exactly what I had dreamed about. I tried to hide my blush, turning to look out the window of the hotel, which showed the cars crossing the Ponte Palatino bridge.

"Coy, Jacob?" Edward said, tilting my chin towards him.

"No, it's just…" I heaved up my body to bury my face on his neck, muttering against his alabaster skin. "I dreamt about us doing the… deed. Emmett wasn't there."

He tilted up my chin and kissed my brow. "It doesn't matter, Jacob. You know it's the three of us, all the way."

"Hope Em feels the same, man." I placed my hand on his shoulder and sat up, arranging the sheets around my groin to hide the wet spot. No matter what Edward said, it felt a betrayal to dream of sex without Emmett.

Edward stood up, his lily-white skin glowing in the morning light coming from the broad windows. The sight of his muscled torso and slim shoulders, tapering up to the long neck which led up to his chiseled face took my breath away. My entrance twitched with need as I recalled the battering he gave me in the dream.

Edward was frowning, though.

"I'm interested in your dream, wolf." He walked up to the night table and grabbed his shirt, hastily putting it on. "Do you remember?"

"Dreamed Aro talking about that woman, Marie whatever."

"Marie Antoinette, the queen of France who was guillotined."

"Aro said he wanted to save her." I glanced up at him. "He was mad at Bella. Wonder why?"

Edward sat on the bed as he put on his beige pants. "It might be due to a comment Bella made. We were coming out of the catacombs, after the confrontation with the Volturi when she and Alice came over to rescue me."

I growled softly at that. Bella had no right to save Edward 'cause it was my job!

Why did she want him for anyway? Only because my Edward would power up her strange world-altering stuff!

Edward's words reminded me of Alice. Where in hell was the damned pixie hiding at?

Edward smirked as he patted my leg. "Calm down, Jacob. Bella is no more, remember?"

I nodded wearily.

"Anyway, Alice said something which I don't remember exactly. It was about us escaping the jaws of the Volturi." Edward frowned and caressed my cheek. "I recall Bella turned her head towards the church and quipped, _Let them eat cake_."

"What?" I said groggily. "Don't understand why that could enrage the head vamp."

"It is rumored those were Marie Antoinette's words after being informed people had no bread during a famine, but the quote is harshly disputed."

"Guess that crazed vamp has his sources," I said.

Edward nodded. "At any rate, the words were perceived as utterly condescending."

"So?" I raised my eyebrows, hoping Edward would get to the point soon.

Edward shook his head and smiled fondly. Then he went on, "Obviously, Aro was mad at the slur Bella cast on Marie Antoinette; though why I invest so much thought in your dreams, I don't know."

"Cause they're sexy dreams!"

Edward grunted and stepped into his loafers while I leaned towards him, brushing my fingers through his hair to give him that just-fucked look. This time, it was regrettably false.

"Whatever, man. Doesn't matter, since as you said, the bitch is gone."

"On that note I will leave you, Jacob. I have to visit some contacts of Carlisle's."

I shrugged and stood up, wincing at the uncomfortable way my briefs stuck to the dried come on my skin. I cocked my head at the bathroom. "Gonna take a shower. Where's Emmett?"

"He went out to talk to some people, taking advantage of the cloudy skies."

Edward's vague answer didn't soothe me. Padding towards the bathroom, I couldn't get rid of the idea that Emmett might feel left out, just like I did during my one-sided romance with Bella. Didn't like the idea of Emmett wandering alone in Rome, after the scare he put me through in Volterra.

Sure, he was a big guy and all, but our enemies were very powerful.

* * *

oOoOo

Strolling along Via Veneto with my hands stuck on my pockets, the cold January weather felt just like home. I wondered about my mates. Where was Em? How could I juggle things so that there would be no jealousy between us?

Edward appeared perfectly composed as always, but he had not reacted to the dream. Didn't exactly want him to manhandle me, throw me on my back and then plunge his cock inside; though that would have been a nice way to dispel my nightmare.

Maybe we were sex-obsessed. The world had been in great danger, according to Marcus and Mara, and we three couldn't keep our hands off each other's bodies.

I frowned while I gazed at the white awnings of a cocktail bar. It all seemed so civilized, with the waiters clad in their black vests and white shirts. Neat flowerbeds peppered the curb with a dash of yellow, while the diesel scent which was so unlike home wafted up to me.

Mara had seen this huge city when it was nothing but a village; her age and wisdom lent weight to the threats the ancient shifter hinted at.

In conclusion, we had to get in the mood for fighting, not engage in a sex marathon!

I walked faster, glancing towards my right to a huge sign which said _Alejandra_, half-hidden behind a slender pine. It was so commonplace; I shivered at the perils we saved them from. Would Bella's powers have affected the ancient place which Marcus proudly called the Eternal City?

A huge bus thundered past, and I glanced at its jaunty red and grey colors as my phone buzzed. Fished it out of my pocket and glanced at the screen. It was Leah.

My thumb gliding along the smooth glass, I muttered, "Wassup?"

"Jacob. Just wanted to know how you were."

Grinned at the screen like mad. I missed my pack like crazy, and couldn't wait till we boarded our flight tonight and got home.

"I'm fine, Leah. Guess the Cullens told you all about the aftermath of the battle?"

"They did. Your guy called Sam. Emily told me they spoke at length." Leah paused and coughed delicately. "Your other guy called me and said you were fine."

"Oh, he did?" I wanted to ask her who had called her. I'd bet my lunch money it had been Emmett. Edward seemed timid around Leah.

"So you're alright?" Leah said sharply. "No feelings of guilt after…?"

"Doing away with my former best friend and crush?"

"Yeah."

"Uh-huh." I hefted the phone close to my ear and sidestepped to avoid some teens rushing ahead.

"So…"

"Nope, I don't feel guilty at all." I nodded at a portly woman who smiled at me.

"Good for you!"

"Bella was a peril to everyone," I whispered into the screen. "Besides, I was pretty angry at the silly bi…"

"Finally you woke up!"

"Yep, I recall what you told me long ago."

"Anyway, I'm also calling to wish you…" Leah paused and then her voice rose sharply. "Happy birthday, Jacob!"

"What?"

Nearly stumbled at that. I'd completely forgotten what day it was.

"It's January 14 here, Jacob," Leah said irritably. "I did my chores early to have time enough to call you…"

"Thanks, Leah…"

A glance at the screen told me it was indeed my birthday.

"Jacob, are you still there?"

"Yeah. I'm touched by your thoughtfulness."

"Anyway, all the guys wanted to wish you a happy birthday. But money's tight, so I got to do it; and talking about money…"

"You have to go."

"Yeah."

"Thanks again, Leah. Will be home soon. Say hi to everyone!"

"Will do."

* * *

oOoOo

I pocketed the phone with a sigh and took the narrow side street opening to my right. It seemed _Via dei Capuccini_ had fewer passersby, so I would be free to get lost in meditation.

I had forgotten my birthday, and so had Edward and Emmett. Sure, I'd never mentioned it, never even thought about it, so Edward had no way of knowing.

Still, it chafed me that they had forgotten.

I had to be honest and admit that during our time in Forks, all their thoughts had been concentrated on Bella's welfare. There was no way they would have paid attention to me.

It rankled, nevertheless.

Lifted up my chin and glanced around, looking for a place to eat. My heart throbbed at the thought that the pack had remembered me, at least. They would always be there for me.

I scuffed my loafers on the cobbled stones, my chin tilted down as I hurried along the narrow street.

When a cold drop fell on my cheek, I gazed up at the cloudy sky and shook my head wearily.

Just what I needed, bad weather and no one to walk with in the rain.

My nostrils flared as I tried to catch the scent of something nice to eat. Should've stopped at the eatery back in Vittorio Veneto. Dad always said that bread is good for the pain.

Just then, the hairs at the nape of my neck stood on end as I caught the scent of a vampire. I spread my legs, fisting my hands as I got ready to fight. Was it one of Bella's persistent allies seeking revenge or the damned Volturi? Whoever it was, they would get what was coming to them.

The scent filled my mind with memories of home, which told me it was one of the Cullens. Tilting up my chin, I followed the smell a few paces and recognized it as Rosalie's, which made me grimace. I dreaded that confrontation.

The drizzle had stopped, leaving a few wet spots on my shirt.

I dragged my feet towards her; didn't look forward to meeting her sharp tongue, but I owed it to Blondie to face her. I had taken her man and if she wanted to blast me for being with Emmett, well, she had the right to.

Caressing the sleek chassis of a grey Peugeot, I took the corner and there I found her, Rosalie's dark attire contrasting with her blond hair as she lazily reclined against the wall.

"Blondie," I said tentatively.

Walked up to her, stopping far enough so she wouldn't scrunch up her pretty nose at me.

"Mutt, fancy meeting you here." She frowned at me and stuck her hands in the pockets of brown leather jacket.

I nodded.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"What are you doing here? I thought you had returned home."

"I had a few concerns that required my personal touch." She smiled maliciously. "I've just come from seeing Emmett."

Her words struck me like a hammer, crumbling the brittle castle that was my heart. I could do nothing but nod dumbly and hunch down my shoulders.

"Emmett and I had a heart to heart. I must say it helped immensely to clear up matters between us."

I gulped and turned my back on her. The street looked fuzzy through the thin film of the tears that I wouldn't shed in front of her. I refused to break down until I reached the sanctuary of Edward's arms, and then I would howl like mad at the loss of my other mate.

I had reached the Peugeot when Rosalie called to me, her voice full of exasperation. "Mutt… Jacob… where the hell are you going?"

"Leaving you alone with him."

"You would let Emmett come back to me?" She said, her voice full of doubt.

"Course I would. Treat him right, will you? Emmett deserves it." I lifted my hand in farewell as I choked back a sob, and then I whispered forlornly, "Take care of the big guy for me."

I nearly stumbled on the curb, my coordination gone to shreds, when I felt a breeze flutter near my cheeks. It was Rosalie who had gripped my arm.

"Let me get this straight," she said slowly. "You think Emmett and I are together again?"

I sighed in defeat and I lowered my gaze to study the pattern of the cobbled stones. I felt her cold fingers grip my chin gently as she tilted it up. Her beautiful honey-colored eyes, so like Emmett's, scrutinized me.

"You would let Emmet go without a fight?" she said, her voice quivering with wonder.

"If that's what he wants, yeah, I would." I shrugged off her touch and walked away, Rosalie keeping pace by my side. "He met with you, you said. Obviously you've found your way together again."

"What in hell's blazes?" She paused and tapped her fingers against my arm. "Do you truly love him?"

Her words broke my composure; I whirled around and glared at her, poking her shoulder with my finger. "Blondie, I care a lot for him! Maybe I'm crazy, but all this shit has taught me something, that the world does whatever the fucking hell it wants. The only thing it will allow us to have in the end is love."

"Jacob…" She started to say, but I went on doggedly.

"I don't care if Emmett's feelings for you are stronger." I took a deep breath and then nearly shouted, "I just want him happy, okay?"

I ran away, startling several pigeons and passersby while I mumbled under my breath, "Because I love him so."

No matter how fast I ran, though, I couldn't escape Rosalie.

"Jacob, listen to me, please! You're wrong!" She was a blur as she kept abreast with me, shooting me an imploring glance which was so discordant on her usual haughty features.

"What?"

"Damn you, wolf!" She huffed. "You've become infected with Bella's idiotic thinking! I met with Emmett but not in the way you suppose!"

"Really?" I slowed down my steps, mindful of the ending of the alley and the heavy traffic on the bigger street.

Rosalie grabbed my shoulders and roughly turned me around, staring into my eyes. "Don't jump to conclusions, Jacob!" She shook me gently, muttering under her breath, "You're just like Edward. No wonder you got together."

"Am not!"

"You so are! It doesn't matter, though. You've just proved my fears were worthless."

"Your fears?" I panted harshly, tired from the emotional strain and the race as I leaned on her, her arms patting my shoulders tentatively before she took a step back.

"Just so you know, I will always love Emmett," she said firmly. "Turns out that both of us are looking for something more. What we had became suffocating; so when Emmett and I parted ways, we remained close."

"Go on."

"Then the battle came, and Emmett called me. The little angel wanted advice, of all things!"

"About what?" I asked eagerly while I carefully noted the 'little angel' part.

Something to tease Emmett with wouldn't come amiss.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Rosalie said coyly, nudging my shoulder. "Anyway, the talk served to clear up matters between us; and yet, I was still afraid you thought of Emmett like a third wheel."

"Blondie, are you nuts?"

"Calm down, wolf." Rosalie shot me a smile which had a strange mix of innocence and guile, just like the Mona Lisa. "From your reactions and anguish, fully misplaced I might add, I can tell you care a lot for Emmett. I might even care to venture that you love him."

"You might be right, Rose," I mumbled, glancing down at my shoes to try and hide my blush.

"You men!" she huffed a bit contemptuously.

Rosalie gazed down at her watch, and then looked up at me while she casually tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. "I have to go now. Don't you dare hurt my angel, or I will hunt you down and feed you your furry tail!"

I poked her arm while I smirked at her. "You and who else, Blondie?"

"You will find Emmett that way," she said with a snort as she cocked her head to the left.

Rosalie glided away, and her grace and striking figure reminded me of the statue of Venus I had just seen on Via Veneto.

"Take care, Rose," I said softly.

Having reached the other end of the street, Rosalie turned her pretty head and blew me a kiss as she whispered, "Happy birthday, wolf boy!"

* * *

oOoOo

I walked along the side street with a lightened heart. Finally I had cleared up things with Rosalie. Was certainly thankful that she at least had remembered my birthday.

I hummed a melody as I stuck my hands in the pockets of the slacks. Maybe next year Edward and Emmett would remember.

It didn't matter though, just as long as I had them by my side.

I walked towards the neighborhood Rosalie had pointed. Lots of new constructions going on, which made the place look a little shoddy in comparison to the gleaming Via Veneto.

My phone buzzed again. Lifted it out of the pocket and grinned at it because it was Emmett. Placed it close to my cheek as I grumbled, "Hi, big guy!"

"Sexy wolf, can you help me choose something?"

"Sure," I said hoarsely as I squeezed my lap. "Where you at?"

"A construction site on _Via Piemonte._ Just hurry, okay?"

Dashed towards the place, mostly following his scent which felt different from Edward's. Somewhat woodsier, I guessed; certainly befitting my woodsman.

I sensed him just at the end of the wire mesh bridge, on the other side of the work site which was cordoned off. Taking long strides, I easily jumped over the barbed wire on the rickety gate and landed with a loud thud, my legs spread for balance.

Wiped the sweat off my neck, wishing I could have shifted, but I didn't want to ruin my slacks which were Edward's gift.

Then I caught a glimpse of Emmett and all thoughts flew from my head. My blood raced south as my heart thudded madly against my ribs, for Emmett lay upon the seat of a gleaming Suzuki. The machine was a biker's delight, all sleek lines and polished metal. Emmett naked above it, wiggling his ass at me – that was my own private wet dream!

My mouth watered at the smooth expanse of his rump, presented for my pleasure. He leaned closer to the handle, winking at me over his shoulder with a come-hither look on his face that would surely wake an army of zombies out of their stupor.

The sight made my cock throb. Forgot the bike, gazing instead at the clean lines of his muscled back, tapering down to his slim waist which wanted my hands on it. My gaze slid down to those smooth buttocks flaring out and leading down to his exposed hole, and the memory of it on my tongue made me tremble.

"What do you say, Jacob?" he said with the angelic smile which showed those sexy dimples. "Want a test ride?"

"What are you doing? It's broad daylight." I glanced around the site as I hastily toed off my loafers; they went flying and crashed against the concrete barrier of the seedy-looking bridge.

"Forget your worries, Jake." He smirked. "Just one of the perks of being wealthy and able to bribe the foreman."

"Whatever you say, man, whatever you say." I shrugged off my shirt and let it fall down to the dirty floor.

"Isn't this a nice bike, sweet Jacob?" Emmett lowered his torso and canted up his hips, presenting a perfect view of his ass, his hole ready to be plowed.

"Gotta love the clean lines," I said huskily, my fingers fumbling with the buttons of my fly.

"So you like the bulging lines?" Em leaned down to caress the motor tank.

"Smooth as can be." I hooked my fingers around the belt loops and pulled down my slacks, letting them pool around my ankles. "That exhaust needs a good plugging, though."

"Really?" Emmett's hole twitched as he flexed his broad thigh to thrust up his leg, his toes curling around a wheel spoke. "What about the bike?"

"Supple, sleek and wanting a hard ride!" I said hoarsely, sliding my wet briefs down my legs.

He squirmed on the seat when the bike shook as I laid my torso on it.

"Gotta have you, man," I growled, kneading his smooth backside.

He turned around, running his hands down his flanks and spreading his crack, so I got a nice view of the hole I couldn't wait to sink into.

"This is your birthday present, Jacob." Emmett's hands stole towards the front of the bike; apparently caressing the seat. Knew he was fondling his cock because the scent of his arousal was heavy in the air, tinged with the ever-present diesel smell.

Leaned over him, my hands going to his rump as my thumbs kneaded his buttocks. My lips twitched in a smirk at the groans he made when I leaned down to breathe next to his rim.

"Gonna test drive this beauty."

"Go for it!" he mumbled, his muscles responsive under my touch, just like a good bike should.

My tongue swirled around Emmett's hole, and then I licked the furled muscle. He groaned, grinding his ass onto my face, but I gripped his hips.

"Em, you're gonna take what I give you!"

"I love bad birthday boys."

"Shut up!" I slapped his ass a few times, smiling at his groaning. Then I swirled my tongue around the tight muscle, my thumbs spreading him open. Rubbed his rim with my fingers while I teased his entrance with the tip of my tongue. I made a flat stab of my tongue and finally breached him.

Could hear Emmett humping the seat, his balls squelching against the leather seat. I growled and gripped his thighs. "Stop it, Em. You'll come on my cock!"

I let go of him and stepped back, squeezing my shaft as I climbed the bike, ready to mount Em. The metal was cold and smooth on my thighs as I guided my cock with my thumb and forefinger.

Rubbed his hole with my cockhead, trying to prolong the moment when I felt joy bursting inside me, but Emmett was gagging for it. He gave a mighty heave and pushed back, impaling himself on my dick till I was sunk midshaft.

"Careful, man." I panted harshly. "No lube, remember."

"Fuck it, wolf! Wanna feel you."

"As you wish!" I slapped him as I rode him hard, the bike wobbling this way and that, wheels squealing on the wire mesh floor. Emmett lowered his leg and supported us, incidentally opening himself wider so I could fuck deeper. Rubbed my fingers around his stretched, pulsing rim as I plugged him hard and fast.

The new angle made him shout. "There, Jake, just… there!"

"Okay, Em. I've got you!" I leaned down to lick his ear shell, my chest covering his supple back, fitting as snugly as our groins below.

"Wish everyone could see you like this, man. Ass spread around me!"

Emmett tilted up his hips and spread his legs, his hand sneaking down to fist his dick, but I was quicker, wrapping my calloused palm around his shaft. My fist slid slowly up and down his wet shaft.

Sweat dripped down from my chest onto his back, the friction causing squelching sounds when I lowered my chest to fuck him deeper. Felt my balls drawing tight, so I pumped him deep. Emmett's forehead was slapping against the handle, but he didn't even notice.

With the energy that came from being a shifter, I pulled out and slammed back, rough and fast, panting harshly as Emmett whined low in his throat.

Grabbed his chin and canted it towards me, kissing him lightly as I soaked up his groans.

Emmet wiggled his behind as if he was under electric shocks while I prodded his prostate, my hand a blur on his dick. Then he came, spurting his seed onto the seat and my fingers, squeezing me so hard my dick felt like it was in a frozen clamp.

The contrast between my heat and his cold walls felt wonderful.

"Gonna come!" I panted out as I sheathed myself to the hilt once, twice, before climaxing.

Exhausted, I just laid down on him, the bike rocking and shaking left and right.

"That was great, Em," I rasped out.

"Happy birthday, Jake!" he said, wiggling his rump. "Mind if I clean up? Edward's waiting for us."

* * *

oOoOo

In the twilight of the last day we spent in Italy, Edward and Emmet walked by my side as we strolled towards the restaurant.

Edward brushed his hand against my backside, leaning towards me to whisper, "Don't think I forgot your wicked dream, Jacob. We'll have to make it true back home."

"Looking forward to it, man."

"Hurry up, Jacob!" Emmett nudged me towards the left. "Edward said he chose this _trattoria_ because they prepare this cake you'll love."

"Really?" I glanced up at Edward's chiseled face.

"Wolf, did you seriously think I would forget your birthday?"

"Well..."

"Just wait till you taste the _millefoglie_."

"The what?" I rolled my eyes.

"It's a birthday cake. The owner assured me it is quite voluptuous, just like you, Jacob." Edward touched my elbow and cocked his head towards the brightly lit restaurant up ahead.

"Whatever. It's you guys who are really voluptuous." I shrugged and grabbed his cheek so I could kiss him, disregarding the startled looks of the passersby.

Looped my arms around their waists, soothed by their presence. Glancing at the window of the department store just ahead of us, I smiled at how well our contrasting heights and shapes fit together.

Their cold and my fire was everything I needed.

Emmett tugged my wrist to hurry along, but we had to pause because of the red light. There was a huge kiosk filled with magazines from all over the world which intrigued me. I glanced at the glossy covers in English, Italian, French, and other languages.

The words on a mag just above my shoulders somehow jogged my memory, so I reached my arm to pick it up; the title said _Garotas do Brasil._ Took out my wallet and fished out the bills which I handed to the vendor while Edward and Emmett were browsing the other side of the kiosk.

It was a magazine in Portuguese. Leafed through it, squinting at the glossy pictures of women on the beach.

I smiled appreciatively at the pretty girls wearing thongs, disregarding the glares Emmett and Edward shot at me.

But when I opened the centerfold I got the shock of my life because it was a photo of Bella!

The background was grey with clouds; the only color the tanned skins and skimpy swimwear. Bella was on the beach, trying to hide her face from the camera. It was too late, though. The shot froze her in the moment when she held hands with a tall, good-looking man with a moustache and well-kept stubble.

"How can she be alive?" I growled in despair, the magazine slipping through my fingers.

Edward wrapped me in his arms, having read my mind. While he frowned in puzzlement, it was Emmett who bent down to pick up the magazine, smoothing the page as he squinted at it. He opened the magazine and groaned.

"Can you believe it, Edward?" Emmett turned it around towards us, his fingers jabbing at the photo. "Turns out your spoiled princess was truly a bitch. That's Garrett she's with!"

* * *

_tbc_


End file.
